LIBRARY 
TY  OF  CALIFORNIA 
DAVIS 


COL.   ALEXANDER,    r.   S.   K. 


SIEGE 


WASHIHOTO 


EXPRESSLY  FOE  LITTLE  PEOPLE. 


BY 


F.  COLBURN  ADAMS,  CAPT., 

AUTHOR   OF    TIIK    "  BTOUY    OF    A   TROOPER,"    AND    OTHKU    BOOKS. 


26  1L  L  USTRA  TIONS. 

ILLUSTRATED    BY    A .    W  .    W  A  U  D 


NEW  YORK: 
DICK    <fe    FITZGERALD,    PUBLISHERS. 


Entered  according  to  act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  186T, 
BY  DICK  &  FITZGERALD, 

In  the  Clerk's  Office  of  the  District  Court  of  the  United  Stivtes  for  the 
Southern  District  of  No.w  York. 


PREFACE. 


MY  publisher  gives  it  as  Ms  opinion  that  a 
great  many  persons  will  be  offended  at  what  I  have 
said  in  this  work.  He  thinks,  also,  that  "  quite  a 
number"  of  our  great  generals  will  be  seriously  dis- 
turbed in  their  dignity  on  seeing  what  liberties  my 
artist  has  taken  with  them.  Such  opinions  as  these 
are  rather  too  common  with  publishers  in  this 
country,  who  generally  take  very  narrow  views  as 
to  what  public  men  think  and  do.  This  work  was 
not  written  to  offend,  but  to  amuse  and  instruct  little 
people.  I  have  too  much  respect  for  our  great 
generals  to  believe  that  they  will  feel  offended  at 
what  I  have  said  of  them.  Some  of  our  little  generals 
may  perhaps  take  exception  to  the  positions  my 
artist  has  assigned  them,  and  feel  disposed  to  make 
war  on  him.  But  there  will  be  nothing  new  in  this, 
inasmuch  as  any  close  observer  of  the  war  must  have 


PREFACE. 

seen  that  these  little  generals  were  always  more 
fierce  in  making  war  on  writers  and  artists  than 
courageous  in  facing  the  enemy.  That  the  Siege  of 
Washington  was  the  most  remarkable  military  event 
history  has  any  account  of,  is  very  well  understood 
among  those  who  participated  in  it.  I  must  beg  the 
reader,  then,  not  to  place  a  false  judgment  on  the 
pleasantry  introduced  here  and  there,  since  I  have 
recorded,  with  great  care  and  correctness,  all  the 
military  movements  that  took  place  during  that 
memorable  occasion. 

F.  COLBURN  ADAMS. 

WASHINGTON,  D.  C.,  January  15,  1867. 


coisrTEisrTs. 


CHAP. 


PAGE 


I._ WASHINGTON  A  REMARKABLE  CITY.          *            .  .                5 

II.—GoiNG  TO  WAR  TO  SETTLE  OUR  DIFFICULTIES          .  .        14 

III. — THE  FORTS  AROUND  WASHINGTON            .           .  25 

IV.— COMING  HOME  AFTER  THE  BATTLE  OF  BULL  RUN     .  .       32 

V. — BRAVE  ARMY  OF  THE  POTOMAC    .  .37 

VI. — NOBODY  HOME  AT  YORKTOWN           ...                    .  .       45 

VII.— POPE  DID  IT          .  .         .  53 

VIII. — How  GENERAL  POPE  CAME  TO  TOWN           .           .  .57 

IX. — BRIGHT  PROSPECTS  AHEAD  .             65 

X. — THE  GENERAL  THAT  FOUGHT  THE  BATTLE  OF  CHANCELLOR- 

VILLE              .'",'.            .  .73 

XI. — HANGING  IN  THE  BALANCE           ...  80 

XII.— ALARMING  SYMPTOMS  OF  THE  ENEMY'S  APPROACH   .  .91 

XIII. — THE  GREAT  COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF  TAKES  THE  FIELD  .            103 

XIV. — THE  WAY  GENERAL  EARLY  CAME  TO  TAKE  THE  CITY  .      110 

XV.— A  REBEL  GENERAL  BROUGHT  TO  GRIEF  .           v  .            120 
XVI. — THE    DISTINGUISHED    STATESMAN    WHO   ENGAGED    IN    THE 

WORK  OF  REBELLION  WITH  GREEN  SPECTACLES  ox  .      130 


ILLUSTRATIONS. 


GENERAL  ALEXANDER         .  .  .  Frontispiece- 

1.  BULL  BUN  BATTLE to  f;iee  34 

2.  POPE'S  GRAND  FLOURISH  OF  TRUMPETS  .  .  .  .        59 

3.  THE  PRESIDENT,  WITH  HIS  SECRETARY  OF  WAR   AND  CHIEF  OF 

STAFF,  GOING  TO  THE  FRONT 104 

4.  TREASURY  GUARD  GOING  TO  THE  FRONT         .  .  .  .111 

5.  GENERAL  MEIGS  AND  HIS  BRIGADE  OF  BUSHWHACKERS        .  113 

6.  ADMIRAL  GOLDSBOROUGII  AND   HIS  ANCIENT  MARINERS  GOING 

TO  THE  FRONT    .  115 


SIEGE    OF  WASHINGTON 


A   TRUE    AND    AUTHENTIC    STORY,  WRITTEN 
LITTLE   PEOPLE. 


LY    FOR 


CHAPTER  I. 

WASHINGTON    AS   A   REMARKABLE   CITY. 


SCOTT,   T1IE   PATRIOT   SOLDIER.      UK   DIKD    BELOVED    BY    ALL    HIS    COUNTRY. 

You,    my   son,   have    heard,    and   perhaps  read,    how 
Eome  was  once  saved  by  a  goose.     There  were,  as  you 

5 


SIEGE   OF   WASHINGTON. 


know,  ray  son,  a  great  many  geese  abroad  during  the 
siege  of  Washington ;  but  it  was  not  through  any  act  of 
theirs  that  the  city  was  saved.  As  I  love  you  dearly, 
my  son,  so  is  it  my  first  desire  to  instruct  you  correctly 
on  all  subjects  in  which  the  good  of  our  great  country 
is  concerned.  Before  concluding  my  history  of  this 
remarkable  siege,  I  shall  prove  to  your  satisfaction  that 
Washington  was  saved,  and  the  fate  of  the  nation  de- 
termined, by  a  barrel  of  whisky. 

Let  me  say  to  you,  my  son,  that  the  siege  of  Washington, 
however  much  people  abroad  may  laugh  at  it,  was  one  of 
the  most  extraordinary  events  in  the  history  of  modern 
warfare.  It  took  place  in  the  year  of  our  Lord,  1864 ; 
and  there  is  no  other  event  in  the  war  of  the  great  rebellion 
to  compare  with  it.  You  will,  therefore,  my  son,  under- 
stand why  it  is  that  the  history  of  an  event  of  so  much 
importance  should  be  written  only  by  an  impartial  his- 
torian— one  who  has  courage  enough  to  tell  the  truth, 
and  no  official  friends  to  serve  at  the  expense  of  honor. 
I  must  tell  you,  also,  my  son,  that  the  great  military 
problem  of  this  siege  has  afforded  a  subject  of  deep 
study  for  our  engineers,  from  General  Delafield  down- 
ward, who  have  puzzled  their  wits  over  it  without  find- 
ing a  solution. 

Should  we  be  unfortunate  enough  to  have  another 
great  war,  and  the  nation  again  be  compelled  to  give 


SIEGE   OF   WASHINGTON. 


itself  up  to  the  profession  of  arms,  the  conduct  of  this 
siege  would  afford  us  an  excellent  example,  as  well  as  a 
profitable  key  to  the  art  of  war,  as  understood  by  our 
War  Department  in  the  said  year  of  our  Lord,  1864. 
This,  then,  is  another  reason  why  this  great  military 
event  should  be  faithfully  rendered.  I  will  also  add,  my 
son,  that  though  I  may  fail  to  instruct  you  after  the 
manner  and  style  of  the  mcst  profound  historian  of  our 
day,  I  will  at  least  make  my  account  of  this  great 
siege  so  plain  and  simple  that  you  will  comprehend  it 
in  all  its  multiplicity  of  parts. 

But  first  let  me  tell  you  a  few  things  about  Washing- 
ton, the  capital  city  of  this  great  nation.  You,  my  son, 
may  have  seen  one  hundred  other  cities,  and  yet  it  will 
remind  you  of  none  of  them.  It  is  very  elongated,  and 
spreads  over  a  great  deal  of  ground,  apparently  for  per- 
sonal inconvenience.  Indeed,  my  son.  it  has  the  appear- 
ance of  having  been  dropped  down  late  of  a  Saturday 
night  by  some  eccentric  gentleman  who  had  a  large  quan- 
tity of  architectural  odds  and  ends  on  hand,  and  had  no 
other  use  for  them.  It  has  been  famous  always  for  its 
acute  angles  and  broad  avenues.  The  former,  I  have 
heard  more  than  one  person  say,  were  skillfully  arranged 
by  a  very  accommodating  French  engineer,  for  the 
special  benefit  of  persons  who  went  home  late  of  nights 
and  were  liable  to  get  confused  on  the  way.  The  popu- 

7 


SIEGE   OP   WASHINGTON. 


lation  is  rather  a  curious  one,  and  may  be  classified  as 
the  distinct  and  indistinct,  the  settled  and  unsettled. 
The  census  report,  a  remarkably  unreliable  account,  has 
it  that  they  number  "  some "  sixty  thousand.  A  large 
proportion  of  this  settled  and  unsettled  population  is  of 
such  variety  of  color  as  to  render  it  almost  impossible 
to  define  the  nice  proportions  of  blood  it  is  so  strongly 
mixed  with.  On  this  point,  my  son,  you  must  not  be 
too  particular,  but  accept  it  as  your  father  does,  as  a  proof 
that  the  races,  whom  we  are  told  can  never  be  got  to  live 
in  harmony  together,  have,  to  say  the  least,  gone  very 
extensively  into  a  system  which  gives  strength  to  the 
belief  that  it  could  be  done.  The  French  call  this  the 
commingling  system,  and  their  philosophers  argue  from  it, 
and  with  much  force,  that  it  is  impossible  to  establish 
the  question  as  to  what  kind  of  blood  the  best  society 
is  based  upon.  For  myself,  I  feel  that  we  can  with 
safety  accept  these  French  philosophers  as  good  au- 
thority in  such  matters.  You  will  also  find  among  the 
population  of  Washington  natives  of  nearly  every  country 
on  the  face  of  the  globe.  These  speak  no  end  of  tongues, 
follow  all  manner  of  professions  and  occupations,  and 
what  is  most  valuable,  preserve  that  delightful  diversity 
for  which  what  is  called  the  "  old  society  "  has  always  been 
famous.  Picturesque  hills  encircle  the  city  at  a  distance, 
and  a  beautiful  river  flows  past  on  its  way  to  the  sea. 

8 


SIEGE   OF   WASHINGTON. 


The  city  has  many  fathers  and  few  friends.  These  fathers, 
while  in  an  ornamental  mood,  built  a  grand  canal  into 
the  very  bowels  of  the  city,  after  the  manner  of  Venice, 
that  commerce  might  be  encouraged,  and  such  persons  as 
had  a  passion  for  moonlight  and  gondolas  could  gratify 
it.  But  the  people  were  not  given  to  sailing  in  gondolas, 
so  this  famous  canal  was  diverted  from  the  object  for 
which  it  was  originally  intended.  It  is  now  used  as  a 
tomb  where  deceased  animals  of  a  domestic  nature  are 
carefully  deposited.  The  old  inhabitants  regard  this 
tomb  with  a  reverence  I  never  could  understand  clearly, 
even  though  I  had  sought  for  a  cause  in  their  instinct- 
ive opposition  to  all  and  every  manner  of  reform.  Indeed, 
the  fathers  of  the  city  regard  this  grand  canal  as  perform- 
ing a  very  humane  part,  inasmuch  as  it  supplies  an 
excellent  and  very  convenient  burial-place  (  for  their 
domestic  animals,  and  increases  the  practice  of  a  large 
number  of  doctors.  The  city  fathers,  I  am  informed, 
find  some  consolation  in  the  fact  that  other  canals  have 
performed  equally  humane  services. 

And  it  came  to  pass,  my  son,  that  there  was  a  great 
war  in  all  the  land;  and  greater  than  was  ever  known 
before  in  any  other  land.  Thus  Washington  became 
the  centre  of  our  anxieties  and  our  thoughts.  The 
people  of  the  North,  and  the  people  of  the  West,  and 
the  people  of  the  South,  who  constituted  the  people  of 

9 


SIEGE   OF   WASHINGTON. 


one  great  nation,  had  long  held  different  opinions  as  to 
the  right  of  making  merchandise  of  men,  of  women,  and 
of  little  children.  Yes,  my  son,  it  was  at  last  claimed 
to  be  in  accordance  with  Christianity  to  doom  these 
people  to  a  life  at  once  hopeless  and  miserable.  As 
you  grow  up,  my  son,  and  begin  to  think  and  act  for 
yourself,  you  will  think  it  very  strange  that  such  a 
great  national  crime  as  this  should  have  existed  in  a 
land  so  blessed  with  the  fruits  of  a  ripe  civilization. 
And  it  will  be  a  cause  of  wonder  to  you  that  a  society 
based  upon  such  an  abomination  did  not  sooner  break 
down  under  the  burden  of  its  wrongs.  And  yet  you 
must  always  bear  in  mind,  my  son,  that  men  do  not 
view  great  crimes  alike,  and  that  even  good  and  great 
men  differ  as  to  what  constitutes  national  rights  and 
national  wrongs.  It  is  said  that  great  nations  have  gone 
to  decline  because  their  people  became  blind  with  pride, 
and  refused  to  think  right.  A  nation  is  always  safe 
while  its  people  think  right ;  but  you  must  teach  the 
children  right  before  you  can  have  the  people  think 
right.  Education  and  association  had  much  to  do  in 
training  the  thoughts  of  men  in  the  South  into  wrong 
channels.  Taking  this  view  of  the  subject  you  may  find 
much  to  forgive  in  a  political  system  that  seems  wrong  in 
your  eyes  and  right  in  the  eyes  of  its  supporters.  Indeed, 
my  son,  I  would  enjoin  you  to  treat  with  a  reasonable 

10 


SIEGE    OF   WASHINGTON. 


amount  of  deference  the  arguments  advanced  by  those  who 
differ  with  you  on  questions  of  public  policy,  and  also  to 
remember  that  right  and  reason  are  your  strongest  wea- 
pons. Never  get  angry  with  your  opponent,  never  use 
language  that  will  cause  you  a  regret ;  and  if  you  can- 
not convince  by  the  moral  force  of  your  argument, 
abandon  the  undertaking.  And  whatever  else  you  do 
to  advance  your  material  prosperity,  never  let  it  be  said 
of  you  that  you  advocated  a  great  political  wrong  merely 
because  it  was  popular  and  brought  you  the  applause  of 
the  unthinking.  You  cannot  do  so  with  a  clear  con- 
science ;  and  what  is  life  without  it  ? 

I  have,  unwittingly,  my  son,  wandered  away  from  my 
subject  The  people  of  the  South  forgot  all  the  great 
principles  which  govern  humanity  for  humanity's  good ; 
they  were  betrayed  into  wrong  doing  by  false  friends, 
and  made  blind  by  their  own  prosperity.  And  they 
even  forgot  that  God  was  their  truest  and  best  guardian, 
and  to  Him  they  must  look  for  that  care  and  protection 
which  shall  last  forever.  But,  my  son,  I  would  enjoin 
you  to  bear  these  people  no  ill  will,  and  remember 
how  much  better  it  is  in  the  sight  of  God  to  deal 
with  the  erring  in  the  spirit  of  forgiveness.  They  were 
a  brave  and  a  gallant  people,  who  fought  in  the  belief 
that  they  were  right,  and  with  a  heroism  worthy  of  a 
good  cause.  It  is  only  the  meanest  nature  that  has  no 

11 


SIEGE   OF   WASHINGTON. 


respect  for  the  courage  and  gallantry  of  an  enemy — that 
cannot  find  in  it  something  to  admire.  It  was  the  sel- 
fishness, my  son,  which  slavery  begat  in  these  people, 
that  perverted  their  natures,  and  caused  them  to  forget 
God. 

Yes,  my  son,  it  was  the  curse  of  slavery  that  cor- 
rupted the  hearts  and  turned  the  heads  of  these  people ; 
that  found  them  requesting  the  race  they  had  made 
suffer  so  long  in  bondage,  to  be  thankful  that  their 
sufferings  were  no  worse.  I  never  could,  my  son,  see 
why  any  human  being,  who  had  been  made  the  victim 
of  the  greatest  outrage  against  his  rights,  should  be 
thankful.  The  Church  might,  and  did,  attempt  to  sanc- 
tify this  greatest  of  crimes ;  but  that  did  not  change 
the  character  of  the  cruelty  and  injustice.  It  will,  no 
doubt,  seem  strange  to  you  that  ministers  of  the  Gospel 
should  be  found  the  defenders  of  crime.  And  yet 
slavery  found  its  ablest  defenders  in  the  pulpit  of  the 
South.  I  am  afraid  it  always  will  be  so,  for  even  now 
we  see  ministers  of  the  Gospel  more  ready  to  hang  out 
false  lights  to  lead  their  people  into  darkness,  than  to 
give  them  that  truth  and  instruction  they  so  much 
need.  But  you  must  not  let  the  thought  of  this  lessen 
your  respect  for  the  Church.  Examine  with  great  care 
until  you  have  found  out  in  what  true  Christianity 
consists ;  and  when  you  have,  practice  accordingly  to 

12 


SIEGE   OF   WASHINGTON. 


the  extent  of  your  ability.  Never  forget  that  it  was 
the  preaching  of  popular  errors  that  cost  the  nation  so 
much  blood  and  treasure,  so  much  sorrow  and  distress. 
That  bishops  should  put  aside  their  lawn,  and  gird  on 
the  sword — that  they  should  lead  men  to  war  and 
death,  instead  of  the  baptismal,  and  all  to  perpetuate 
the  sorrows  of  an  oppressed  race,  is,  my  son,  only  an- 
other proof  that  error  may  gain  a  victory  over  truth  in 
the  hearts  and  feelings  of  the  best  of  us. 

13 


SIEGE    OF   WASHINGTON. 


CHAPTER  II. 


WE   GO   TO    WAE   TO   SETTLE   OUR   DIFFERENCES. 

HERE  let  me  pre- 
sent you,  my  son, 
with,  an  exact  por- 
trait of  the  distin- 
guished general  who 
is  commonly  accept- 
ed as  striking  the 
first  blow  of  this  war. 
He  was  kindly  edu- 
cated at  the  expense 
of  the  nation,  and 
was  first  among  its 
enemies.  For  a  time 
his  fame  ran  high 
enough,  and  timid 
people  were  inclined 

GENERAL   BKAfKEGARD.  fa         gJVC         him          tll6 

character  of  a  monster.  But  it  turned  out  in  time 
that  he  was  a  very  peaceable  gentleman,  and  not  so 
much  of  a  terrible  warrior,  after  all. 

14 


SIEGE   OF  WASHINGTON. 


But  I  want  to  tell  you,  my  son,  how  it  was  that  the 
people  of  this  great  nation  took  to  swords  and  cannon, 
to  settle  their  differences  of  opinion. 

The  people  of  the  great  North,  and  the  people  of  the 
great  West,  were  educated  to  a  very  different  way  of 
thinking  on  the  question  of  slavery;  and  differed  with 
the  people  of  the  South  as  to  what  constituted  a  na- 
tional blessing.  They  were  willing,  for  the  sake  of 
peace,  to  tolerate  slavery,  as  a  great  evil  it  were  dan- 
gerous to  attempt  to  remove ;  but  it  was  too  much  to 
ask  them  to  accept  it  as  a  great  national  blessing. 
These  people  were  energetic,  thrifty,  lovers  of  right  and 
justice,  and  had  grown  rich  and  powerful  by  their  own 
industry.  They  could  not  see  why  the  whole  people  of 
so  great  a  nation  as  ours  should  be  required  to  bow  down 
and  worship  what  the  rest  of  the  civilized  world  had 
stigmatized  as  the  greatest  scourge  of  mankind.  Seeing 
the  power  this  great  wrong  was  obtaining  over  the 
nation,  as  well  as  the  danger  it  was  causing  us  by  cor- 
rupting the  minds  of  the  people,  they  consulted  together 
and  elected  a  President  after  their  own  way  of  think- 
ing. And  this  so  offended  the  people  of  the  South, 
who  were  a  brave  people,  and  quick  to  anger,  that  they 
gathered  together  from  all  parts  of  their  country,  gave 
up  their  peaceful  pursuits,  and  went  to  war  for  what 
they  called  their  independence.  But  I  always  found, 

15 


SIEGE   OF   WASHINGTON. 

my  son,  that  independence  was  an  abused  phrase,  much 
on  the  tongues  of  these  people.  Indeed  their  idea  of 
independence  extended  only  to  giving  one  class  the  full 
and  exclusive  right  to  enslave  the  other.  The  Southern 
idea  of  independence  was  so  shaped  as  to  contain  the 
very  worst  features  of  a  despotism.  But  you  must 
look  with  forgiveness  on  these  people,  my  son,  and 
seek  to  forget  many  of  those  acts  of  vindictiveness 
which  characterized  them  during  the  war. 

At  the  same  time,  my  son,  you  must  not  lose  sight 
of  the  lesson  which  the  result  of  this  war  teaches.  Let 
it  be  a  guide  to  your  own  actions  that  these  people 
went  to  war  to  tear  down  what  they  could  not  build 
up,  to  destroy  a  Government  the  world  had  come  to 
respect  and  admire,  and  under  which  they  had  found  a 
safe  refuge  and  a  tolerance  for  their  institution  of 
slavery.  But  the  edifice  they  sought  to  build  up 
crumbled  to  the  ground,  and  they  are  now  left  without 
even  a  safe  refuge  for  their  pride.  Yes,  my  son,  these 
people  scorned  the  example  of  the  Christian  world, 
went  to  war  in  defense  of  a  great  crime,  and  ceased 
only  when  they  had  destroyed  themselves. 

I  have  been  thus  serious  while  instructing  you  as  to 
how  the  war  began,  because  I  am  aware  that  a  very 
large  number  of  writers  will  tell  you  that  it  began  in 
a  very  different  manner.  If  the  account  I  may  here- 

16 


SIEGE   OF   WASHINGTON. 


after  give  of  what  took  place  at  the  siege  may  be  less 
serious,  you  must  charge  it  to  my  love  for  the  truth 
of  history.  Indeed  much  that  occurred  during  that 
remarkable  military  event,  was  not  of  so  serious  a 
nature  as  is  generally  conceded  by  an  intelligent  public, 
Unless,  then,  it  be  written  down  as  it  occurred,  we 
shall  not  convey  a  faithful  picture  of  it  to  the  public. 

Now  that  the  war  spirit  was  full  to  the  brim,  the 
people  of  the  South  gathered  in  great  numbers  on  the 
plains  of  Manassas.  They  were  earnest,  serious,  and 
even  savage  in  their  intentions ;  and  they  brought  with 
them  their  powder  and  shot-guns,  and  a  large  quantity 
of  whisky.  They  also  brought  with  them  a  great  num- 
ber of  negroes,  who  were  to  build  the  forts,  and  do  all 
work  it  would  not  become  a  gentleman  to  do.  And 
while  this  work  was  progressing,  the  "gentlemen"  sol- 
diers of  the  South  were  to  talk  very  loudly  and  cour- 
ageously, and  invite  all  the  Yankees  round  about  to 
come  out  and  get  whipped.  These  people  resolved 
themselves  into  a  great  and  powerful  army,  with  Peter 
Beauregard,  the  French  gentleman  of  whom  I  have 
before  spoken,  for  its  commander.  This  gentleman  was 
somewhat  eccentric,  and  much  given  to  saying  things, 
the  true  meaning  of  which  he  did  not  understand  A 
waggish  friend  of  mine  once  told  me  that  this  Mr. 
Beauregard  was  educated  for  an  apothecary  at  West 

17 


SIEGE   OF   WASHINGTON. 


Point,  a  place  where  young  gentlemen  are  instructed  in 
the  various  ways  of  getting  a  living  honestly.  Being 
very  skillful  in  the  use  of  mortars,  he  was  held  by  Mr. 
Davis  as  a  most  proper  person  to  command  a  southern 
army,  inasmuch  as  he  could  give  the  Yankees  all  the 
physic  they  wanted  in  the  shortest  time.  And  as  it  is 
always  expected  that  a  great  general  will  say  a  great 
many  things  that  are  neither  sensible  nor  wise,  and  which 
afford  politicians  an  excellent  opportunity  of  picking 
them  to  pieces,  he  is  a  wise  general  who  issues  his 
orders  and  keeps  his  lips  sealed  on  politics.  I  say  this, 
my  son,  because  it  is  popularly  understood  that  a  gene- 
ral who  knows  his  business  bears  the  same  relations  to 
a  politician  that  pepper  does  to  the  stomach. 

And  it  came  to  pass  that  the  people  of  the  North 
and  the  people  of  the  West  became  seriously  alarmed 
at  the  capers  Mr.  Beauregard  and  his  men  were  cutting 
at  Manassas.  Indeed,  many  false  reports  were  circulated 
concerning  the  great  power  of  this  Mr.  Beauregard ;  and 
our  people  began  to  give  way  to  their  fears,  and  to 
declare  that  he  might  enter  the  capital  any  dark  night 
and  capture  or  send  the  Government  on  a  traveling 
expedition.  The  aged  gentlemen  at  the  head  of  our 
Government  shook  their  heads  discouragingly,  and  de- 
clared there  was  no  safety  in  going  to  bed  at  night 
while  Mr.  Beauregard  was  so  near  a  neighbor.  The 

18 


SIEGE   OF   WASHINGTON. 


honest  farmers  in  the  country  round  about  were  also 
very  much  alarmed  at  the  unruly  conduct  of  Mr. 
Beauregard's  men,  who  carried  off  their  pigs  and  chick- 
ens, and  eat  up  all  their  vegetables.  They  also  made  a 
great  noise,  and  planted  guns  on  all  the  adjacent  hills, 
a  proceeding  the  honest  farmers  did  not  fully  compre- 
hend. Then  these  unruly  men  became  very  defiant, 
felt  like  fighting  the  world,  and,  in  the  honest  belief 
that  they  could  do  it,  invited  all  the  rest  of  the  nation 
to  come  out  and  get  whipped.  Yes,  my  son,  and  to 
show  what  confidence  they  had  in  themselves,  they  said 
we  might  bring  "five  for  one;"  and  for  that  matter,  all 
Germany  and  all  Ireland.  It  was  considered  wisdom 
with  them  to  say  nothing  about  England  and  France. 
Those  two  peaceably  inclined  nations  might,  at  some 
future  day,  be  disposed  to  step  in  and  help  them  out — 
in  a  quiet  way.  It  was  not  so  much  humanity  as  a  mat- 
ter of  profitable  trade  with  these  two  great  nations,  and 
if  things  should  take  a  successful  turn,  they  might  see  the 
confederacy  in  a  strong  light,  and  give  it  material  as  well 
as  moral  help,  notwithstanding  it  had  slavery  for  its 
foundation.  In  short,  these  Southern  gentlemen  acted 
on  the  wise  axiom,  that  it  will  not  do  to  make  enemies 
in  a  direction  where  you  may  need  friends  and  assist- 
ance. 

Now,    my    son,    the    eccentric    French   gentleman,    of 

19 


SIEGE    OF    WASHINGTON. 


whom  I  have  spoken  as  capable  of  administering  physic 
enough  to  settle  the  question  with  the  Yankees,  soon 
became  an  object  of  great  admiration  with  his  noisy 
people.  And  this  so  pleased  him,  that  he  came  in  time 
to  admire  himself,  and  to  firmly  believe  in  his  own 
mind  that  the  world  had  no  greater  warrior.  Self-con- 
fidence, my  son,  is  one  of  the  most  necessary  things  in 
war.  I  have  sometimes  thought  that  this  element  of  an 
army's  strength  was  not  fully  understood.  It  was  at 
least  not  understood  by  us  when  the  war  began.  If  it 
had  been,  a  much  less  number  of  our  people  would 
have  shared  Mr.  Beauregard's  opinion  of  himself.  As  it 
was,  our  timid  people  so  magnified  his  proportions  as  to 
see  danger  in  his  very  shadow.  But  then,  my  son,  we 
were  very  innocent  of  the  practical  part  of  war  when 
the  great  rebellion  began ;  and  this  innocence  led  us 
into  the  very  grave  error  of  giving  our  adversary  more 
than  his  proper  dimensions.  It  was  this  that  led  the 
Northern  mind  to  over-measure  Mr.  Beauregard. 

I  have  always  had  a  good  deal  of  sympathy  for  Mr. 
Beauregard,  and  never  believed  him  anything  but  a  pleas- 
ant, harmless  gentleman,  who  got  into  bad  company  by 
mere  accident.  Nor  do  I  believe  he  ever  had  any  more 
serious  design  on  the  capital  of  the  nation  than  to  look 
at  it  longingly  from  a  distance,  and  perhaps  a  desire 
now  and  then  to  enjoy  the  hospitality  of  some  old 

20 


SIKGE    OF    WASHINGTON. 


friend.  That  he  would  have  played  the  ruthless  in- 
vader, if  he  had  got  into  the  city,  no  reflecting  mind 
ever  believed.  But  then  there  were  people  ready  enough 
to  believe  anything  in  those  days — even  to  believe  that 
there  was  truth  to  be  found  in  the  stories  told  by  Mr. 
Detective  Baker. 

It  was  natural  enough  that  Mr.  Beauregard  should 
amuse  his  soldiers  by  telling  them  romantic  stories  of 
the  pleasant  days  he  had  spent  in  Washington,  as  well 
as  the  great  value  of  what  it  contained.  It  was  neces- 
sary also  that  he  should  ascertain  how  far  the  Govern- 
ment at  Washington  could  be  frightened,  and  what  were 
the  best  means  to  that  end.  You  must  know,  my  son, 
that  a  Frenchman  regards  it  as  one  of  the  first  princi- 
ples in  war  to  find  out  how  far  you  can  frighten  your 
adversary  before  proceeding  to  fight  him.  This  will 
account  for  a  good  deal  that  Mr.  Beauregard  said  and 
did  while  at  Manassas,  and  which,  at  the  time,  was 
somewhat  unintelligible. 

As  we  were  not  sure,  however,  as  to  what  the  real 
intentions  of  Mr.  Beauregard  and  his  master  were,  it 
was  concluded  that  we  could  better  preserve  our  respect 
for  them,  as  well  as  the  peace  of  mind  of  our  own  peo- 
ple, by  applying  the  proper  means  to  keep  them  at  a 
respectful  distance  outside.  Indeed  the  capital  contained 
a  great  many  things  which  would  be  extremely  useful 

21 


SIEGE    OF    WASHINGTON. 


to  an  ambitious  gentleman  resolved  on  setting  up  a 
government  of  his  own,  and  with  the  machinery  all 
working  according  to  his  own  way  of  thinking.  And 
as  the  honest  intentions  of  these  ambitious  men  (I 
refer  to  Mr.  Beauregard  and  his  master)  were  no  more 
to  be  trusted  than  their  loyalty,  we  set  our  engineers  to 
work  building  a  cordon  of  forts,  such  as  the  world  had 
never  seen  before,  and  supposed  to  be  strong  enough  to 
keep  all  our  enemies  out.  And  these  forts  were  mounted 
with  such  reasoning  powers  as  the  largest  cannon  in 
the  world  were  capable  of. 

Among  the  things  in  Washington  so  very  desirable 
to  a  gentleman  about  to  set  up  a  government  of  his 
own  was  the  White  House.  Mr.  Davis  had  long  re- 
garded this  pleasant  looking  old  mansion  as  a  desirable 
residence  for  a  gentleman  born  to  rule  over  a  people. 
Once  comfortably  seated  in  this  pleasant  mansion,  a 
wonderful  change  would  be  worked  in  the  political 
opinions  of  those  whose  minds  were  in  doubt.  Con- 
sidered as  master  of  the  situation,  his  friends  in  the 
North  would  increase  fourfold.  And  there  was  no 
knowing  the  turn  respect  for  him  abroad  might  take. 
A  gentleman  quietly  settled  down  in  the  White  House, 
if  only  for  four  years,  is  sure  to  have  a  large  increase 
in  the  number  of  his  friends,  all  ready  either  to  accept 
his  favors  or  sound  his  virtues.  Even  slavery,  that 

22 


SIEGE    OF    WASHINGTON. 


had  scourged  mankind  for  so  many  generations,  would 
have  found  a  great  increase  of  friends  and  admirers  if 
Mr.  Davis  had  made  a  home  in  the  White  House;  so 
prone  is  weak  human  nature  to  bow  to  power.  Indeed,  I 
am  not  so  sure  that,  with  such  a  turn  in  our  political 
affairs,  those  preachers  who  had  been  asserting  the  divine 
origin  of  slavery  would  not  then  have  proclaimed  that 
God  himself  was  its  great  protector — a  blasphemy  the 
Christian  Church  will  some  day  be  ashamed  of. 

In  addition  to  the  White  House  being  a  desirable 
residence  for  Mr.  Davis,  there  were  those  fine  public 
buildings  so  much  admired  by  strangers.  They  were 
just  what  Mr.  Davis  and  his  friends  wanted  in  starting 
a  new  government,  and  would  come  in  very  handy. 
With  Washington  in  his  possession,  and  our  worthy 
President  and  his  Cabinet  locked  up  in  the  arsenal,  or 
sent  on  a  traveling  expedition  into  a  colder  climate 
for  the  benefit  of  their  health,  Mr.  Davis's  new  enter- 
prise would  become  a  fixture  in  the  history  of  nations. 
And  there  was  a  time  when  Mr.  Davis  could,  with 
the  means  in  his  power,  have  accomplished  all  these 
things. 

The  arsenal,  too,  was  full  of  gunpowder,  of  great  guns, 
of  valuable  military  stores  and  equipments.  And  these 
were  just  such  things  as  a  gentleman  resolved  to  be  a 
ruler  and  have  a  government  according  to  his  own  way 

23 


SIEGE    OF    WASHINGTON. 


of  thinking  would  stand  most  m  need  of.  In  short,  the 
powder  and  big  guns  might  be  needed  as  a  means  of 
convincing  those  who  differed  with  him  that  his  opinions 
must  be  respected.  This  is  a  queer  world,  my  son,  and 
man  is  the  strangest  and  most  uncontrollable  animal  in 
it.  Mr.  Davis  understood  this  as  well  as  any  gentleman 
within  my  knowledge.  And  if  he  had  kept  as  keen  an 
eye  on  his  finances  as  he  had  on  his  political  fortune,  it 
would  have  been  much  better  for  him.  He  knew  that 
if  he  could  show  to  the  world  that  his  new  government 
was  sound  financially,  and  likely  to  continue  so,  his 
prospects  would  be  bright  indeed.  And  with  Wash- 
ington, and  what  Washington  contained,  in  his  possession, 
he  could  set  up  his  claim  to  the  confidence  of  the 
financial  world  with  more  than  ordinary  pretensions. 

It  was  indeed  said  (but  I  think  in  a  strain  of  slander) 
that  Mr.  Beauregard  looked  with  an  air  of  great  conde- 
scension on  our  noble  Treasury  building,  and  promised 
his  fighting  followers  a  share  of  its  contents  as  soon  as 
it  came  into  his  master's  possession.  Indeed  it  was  said 
that  Mr.  Beauregard  promised  his  men  that  when 
they  got  Washington  they  should  have  luxuries  for  ra- 
tions, and  fight  with  their  pockets  filled  with  silver  and 
gold.  And  with  their  expectations  firmly  fixed  on  a 
specie  basis,  who  could  doubt  as  to  what  the  result 
would  be  ?  This  was  the  golden  prize  Mr.  Davis  hoped 

24 


SIEGE    OF    WASHINGTON. 


to  win  with  Washington.  And  with  it  he  saw,  or 
rather  thought  he  saw,  England  extending  to  him  the 
right  hand  of  fellowship,  and  the  Emperor  of  France 
making  him  one  of  his  very  best  bows,  and  thanking  him 
for  the  liberty  he  had  taken  with  the  freedom  of  a 
people. 

These,  then,  my  son,  are  some  of  the  reasons  why 
we  concluded  to  close  the  gates  of  Washington  against 
Mr.  Davis  and  his  rebellious  people,  and  to  keep  them 
closed  by  raising  a  cordon  of  strong  forts  around  the 
city. 

25 


SIEGE    OF    WASHINGTON. 


CHAPTER  III. 

CONCERNING    THE    DISTINGUISHED     OFFICER   WHO    BUILT 
THE   FORTS. 


I  HAVE  thought  it 
no  more  than  right, 
my  son,  to  present 
you  with  a  pleasant, 
but  very  exact  picture 
of  the  distinguished 
officer  of  engineers, 
to  whose  skill  we 
are  indebted  for  the 
forts  that  more  than 
once  saved  Washing- 
ton. I  do  this  out 
of  respect  to  the 
truth  of  history,  and 
from  an  apprehen- 
sion that  there  are 
others,  perhaps,  high- 
er in  rank,  who  may 
lay  claim  to  the 


ALEXANDER. 


SIEGE    OF    WASHINGTON. 


honor,  at  some  future  day.  I  have  also  presented  you 
with  a  more  extended  and  complete  portrait  of  him  in 
the  frontispiece  of  this  work.  He  appears  here  in  his 
usually  calm,  meditative  mood,  with  his  pipe  and  Pro- 
fessor Mahan's  last  great  work  on  fortifications.  He  is, 
I  must  tell  you,  my  son,  a  man  of  large  brain,  and 
generous  nature,  fond  of  his  joke,  and  very  fertile  in 
the  art  of  rearing  earthworks.  In  figure  he  is  Falstafnan, 
and  when  on  his  rounds  among  the  fortifications 
wears  immense  canvas-legged  boots,  and  a  hat  with  a 
high  crown  and  extremely  broad  brim.  Indeed,  his 
figure  is  what  may  be  called  formidable,  and  there 
would  be  no  mistaking  him  were  you  to  meet  him  on 
the  road.  And,  notwithstanding  his  peaceable  disposi- 
tion, and  his  scrupulous  regard  for  the  rights  of  others, 
the  farmers  round  about  Washington  regard  him  with 
fear  and  trembling.  In  short,  my  son,  his  approach 
near  a  farm  house  is  sure  to  send  all  the  children 
scampering  with  fear.  And  even  the  curs  and  other 
domestic  animals,  seem  to  have  an  instinctive  knowl- 
edge that  his  visits  portend  no  good  to  their  master's 
domicil.  It  is  curious  to  see  those  domestic  animals 
how  they  bark  and  snap,  and  then  shrink  away  at  his 
approach,  uttering  signs  of  their  dislike.  In  truth,  my 
son,  he  has  a  bad  reputation  among  these  worthy 
farmers,  whose  farms  he  quietly  takes  possession  of, 

27 


SIEGE    OF    WASHINGTON. 


and  then  indulges  in  his  favorite  amusement  of 
building  forts  on  them.  In  this  way  many  an  honest 
farmer  has  suddenly  found  himself  dispossessed  of  his 
property,  and  his  means  of  getting  an  honest  living ; 
thereby  bringing  great  distress  on  his  family.  To 
remonstrate  would  be  useless.  He  must  submit  to  the 
fate  of  war,  and  look  to  Heaven  for  redress.  Now 
it  is  by  no  means  pleasant  for  a  quietly-disposed 
farmer  to  have  his  home  turned  suddenly  into  a  for- 
tress, and  his  acres  made  a  camping  ground  for  sol- 
diers, who  are  not  the  most  desirable  guests,  even 
under  the  best  of  circumstances.  But  the  farmer  lays 
all  his  sorrows  at  the  door  of  our  distinguished  en- 
gineer, forgetting  that  he  is  only  carrying  out  the 
orders  of  his  superiors.  Thus  it  was  that  he  got  a 
bad  reputation,  just  as  General  Gilmore  got  a  bad 
repiitation  with  the  people  of  Charleston,  and  South 
Carolina  generally,  for  throwing  shells  into  their  city. 

While,  then,  our  distinguished  engineer  progressed 
in  his  work  of  building  forts,  with  a  view  to  saving 
the  city,  the  people  of  the  North,  and  the  people  of 
the  great  West,  seeing  that  war  was  upon  us  in  all  its 
stern  reality,  were  much  agitated  as  to  what  was  best 
to  be  done.  They  were  a  peaceable,  prospering  people, 
and  much  attached  to  the  Government  that  had  con- 
ferred so  many  blessings  on  them.  But  the  fire  of  their 

28 


SIEGE    OF    WASHINGTON. 


patriotism  had  already  been  kindled ;  and  the  j  went  wisely 
to  work  adding  fuel  to  it.  The  trumpet  of  war  had 
sounded  over  the  land,  their  gallant  militiamen  came 
together,  boldly  and  earnestly.  And  these  they  sent  to 
Washington,  by  regiments,  to  quiet  the  fears  of  the 
people,  and  save  the  nation. 

Now  these  gallant  militiamen  were  very  full  of  cour- 
age, and  their  courage  increased  as  their  numbers  mul- 
tiplied in  the  capital,  and  they  sent  word  to  Mr.  Beau- 
regard  and  his  men  that  they  would  be  out  there  soon 
and  thrash  him  out  of  Manassas.  Some  of  these  gallant 
men  carne  for  thirty  days,  others  for  ninety,  our  wise 
rulers  being  satisfied  in  their  own  mind  that  the  latter 
number  of  days  would  be  quite  enough  to  finish  up 
the  small  job  of  putting  down  the  rebellion.  These 
militiamen  wore  gay  and  many-colored  uniforms,  and 
had  the  fat  of  the  land  for  rations.  They  were  the 
nation's  favored  guests,  and  every  man  was  set  down 
for  a  gentleman  and  a  hero,  who  would  as  soon  shed 
his  blood  for  his  country  as  eat  his  breakfast.  And 
these  gallant  militiamen  were  organized  into  a  grand 
army,  so  full  of  pomp  and  circumstance,  that  we  were 
sure  the  enemy  would  run  away  as  soon  as  he  saw  it 
coming.  But  in  order  to  make  the  thing  safe  beyond 
peradventure,  we  gave  the  command  of  this  grand  army 
to  General  McDowell,  a  man  of  solid  parts,  a  gentle- 

29 


SIEGE    OF    WASHINGTON. 


man,  and  a  soldier.  Our  wise  political  rulers  at  that 
time  held  to  the  idea  that  a  gentleman  who  had  seen 
service  must  be  a  great  general.  Hence  it  was  that 
General  McDowell,  being  a  gentleman  and  a  scholar, 
and  ready  enough  to  square  his  political  sentiments 
with  the  predominant  ideas,  was  accepted  as  just  the 
soldier  who  would  lead  our  gallant  militiamen  to  vic- 
tory, and  never  think  of  running  from  the  enemy. 
Indeed,  according  to  our  military  politicians,  we  were 
to  get  no  end  of  glory  through  General  McDowell's 
success.  And  Mr.  Beauregard  was  to  be  driven  back 
to  his  master,  bag  and  baggage. 

30 


SIEGE    OF    WASHINGTON. 


CHAPTER   IV. 

• 

THE   BATTLE    OF   BULL-RUN,    AND    HOW   IT   ENDED. 


GENERAL   M'nOWELL. 

I  CONSIDER  it  of  the  greatest  importance,  my  son,  to 
present  you  with  an  exact  portrait  of  the  very  distin- 
guished general  who  led  our  gallant  militiamen  to  battle 
at  Bull-Run,  and  followed  them  home  without  gaining 

3  31 


SIEGE    OF    WASHINGTON. 


a  victory.  Greater  battles  than  this  of  Bull-Run  have* 
been  fought,  as  well  in  modern  as  in  ancient  times ; 
but  it  is  my  honest  opinion  that  it  has  never  had  its 
equal  in  the  small  number  killed  and  wounded,  as  com- 
pared to  the  very  large  number  that  got  frightened  and 
ran  away.  But  I  shall  speak  of  this  more  particularly 
hereafter. 

When  the  bold  McDowell  had  got  the  courage  of  our 
gallant  militiamen  well  up,  and  was  sure  they  would 
look  the  enemy  right  in  the  eye,  and  give  him  powder 
and  shot  to  his  heart's  content,  he  led  them  forth  with 
such  pomp  and  pageantry  as  had  never  been  seen  before. 
Yes,  my  son,  our  gallant  militiamen  marched  forth  on 
the  morning  of  the  21st  of  July,  186L,  every  man  a 
hero,  and  every  man  intent  on  fighting  the  battle  accord- 
ing to  his  own  peculiar  notions  of  how  a  great  and  glo- 
rious victory  ought  to  be  gained.  There  was  great 
blowing  of  bugles,  beating  of  drums,  playing  of  bands, 
and  fluttering  of  colors ;  all  of  which  told  Mr.  Beaure-» 
gard  to  put  in  his  powder,  that  we  were  coming,  and 
in  earnest.  The  nation  went  into  a  very  fever  of  joy. 
Several  of  our  grave  Congressmen  got  up  their  courage, 
put  pistols  in  their  pockets,  and  went  forth  with  the  army 
to  set  our  brave  boys  a  noble  example  by  their  pres- 
ence on  the  field.  Indeed,  many  otherwise  reflecting 
persons  looked  forward  to  this  great  clash  of  arms  as  a 

33 


SIEGE    OF    WASHINGTON. 


grand  entertainment,  which  was  to  wind  up  with  a  feast, 
to  which  the  vanquished  enemy  was  to  be  invited.  And 
to  that  end  they  went  amply  provided  with  provisions 
and  good  wines.  In  truth,  my  son,  there  was  a  strong 
rear  guard,  made  up  of  Congressmen,  editors,  and  dis- 
tinguished citizens,  all  going  to  see  the  battle,  in  wag- 
ons well-filled  with  luxuries.  This  was  a  new  feature 
in  the  history  of  war,  and  quiet  people  along  the  road 
wondered  at  the  sight 

The  morning  was  hot  and  sultry,  and  the  air  was 
misty  with  dust  clouds.  Our  brave  boys,  who  were  not 
up  to  long  marches,  had  a  hard  time  of  it.  But  they 
were  full  of  patriotism,  and  bore  up  under  it  with  great 
fortitude.  Meeting  the  enemy  near  Bull-Run,  we  gave 
him  battle.  That  is,  we  pitched  into  him  and  he  pitched 
into  us,  the  fight  becoming  general  and  extending  over 
a  great  deal  of  ground.  Then  the  fighting  became  so 
mixed  up  and  confused  that  it  was  difficult  to  tell  on 
•which  side  victory  was  smiling.  Indeed,  neither  general 
could  tell  how  things  were  going.  For  a  long  time  both 
armies  kept  at  a  respectful  distance,  under  the  evident 
apprehension  that  somebody  would  get  injured.  In  short, 
there  was  a  great  deal  of  good  ammunition  wasted,  and 
a  great  deal  of  wild  and  harmless  firing  done.  And 
just  as  we  were  about  to  proclaim  a  great  victory  over 
the  enemy — for  many  far-sighted  persons  declared  they 

33 


SIEGE    OF    WASHINGTON. 


could  see  Mr.  Beauregard  and  his  men  with  the  toes 
of  their  boots  turned  towards  Kichmond — a  strange  chap- 
ter of  accidents  occurred  and  changed  the  whole  scene. 
A  number  of  our  brave  boys  got  killed,  a  greater  num- 
ber got  hurt,  and  a  still  greater  number  got  frightened 
and  thought  it  high  time  to  look  to  their  own  safety. 
A  backward  movement,  not  ordered  by  our  gallant  gene- 
ral, began,  and  this  soon  resolved  itself  into  a  grand 
race  for  Washington,  where,  it  was  thought,  shelter  and 
safety  were  to  be  found  behind  its  forts.  What  caused 
this  sudden  backward  movement  still  remains  an  unde- 
cided question.  It  was  first  noticed  among  a  regiment 
of  brave  Pennsylvanians,  who  had  been  homesick  for 
several  days,  and  wanting  to  go  home,  started  for  that 
purpose.  The  example  of  these  gallant  fellows  was  soon 
followed  by  our  Congressmen,  editors,  and  citizens  gene- 
rally, each  leaving  his  stock  of  luxuries,  and,  indeed, 
everything  he  had,  as  a  peace-offering  to  the  enemy, 
and  resolved  not  to  be  outdone  in  the  race,  especially 
in  a  case  where  it  was  made  so  clear  that  discretion  was 
the  better  part  of  valor.  Indeed,  these  distinguished 
non-fighting  gentlemen  proved  themselves  remarkably 
fleet  of  foot,  and  not  to  be  outdone  in  a  race  where 
personal  safety  was  at  stake.  But  the  worst  of  it  was 
that  their  example  was  at  once  imitated  by  a  regiment 
of  fierce  Zouaves,  from  New  York,  who  firmly  believed, 

34 


SIEGE    OF    WASHINGTON. 


when  they  went  out  to  meet  the  enemy,  that  they  were  ' 
more  than  a  match  for  him.  It  is  reported  that  these 
fierce  Zouaves  became  very  much  alarmed,  and  did  some 
of  the  very  best  running  of  the  day,  under  the  apprehen- 
sion that  they  were  followed  by  not  less  than  a  troop  of 
savage  horsemen,  better  known  as  the  black-horse  cavalry- 
men, whose  sabres  they  had  no  taste  for.  But  I  have 
always  been  of  opinion,  my  son,  that  these  fierce  Zouaves 
were  so  intent  on  making  the  best  speed  they  were  capable 
of,  that  they  never  looked  behind  them  to  see  if  these 
savage  horsemen  were  men  of  buckram  or  real  sub- 
stances. I  have  also  heard  it  intimated  that  the  good 
speed  made  by  these  red-legged  heroes  was  owing  to 
the  fact  that  they  had  left  their  courage  at  home,  and 
were  returning  to  get  it.  Another  very  plausible  theory 
I  have  heard  advanced  by  an  Englishman,  who  had  very 
profound  ideas  as  to  how  war  should  be  carried  on  and 
battles  fought.  He  very  gravely  told  me  (adding  that 
he  had  undoubted  authority  for  his  statement),  that 
what  set  the  gallant  Zouaves  to  scampering  was  this: 
There  were  a  large  number  among  them  who  had  a 
weakness  for  office-holding.  Knowing  this,  a  mischiev- 
ous member  started  the  report  that  there  was  a  vacancy 
in  the  New  York  Custom-house.  The  fellow  could 
not  have  done  a  more  rash  act,  for  it  sent  them  all 
scampering  off  the  battle-field,  each  in  the  hope  of  being 

35 


SIEGE    OF    WASHINGTON. 


first  to  gain  the  prize.  Her  Majesty's  sagacious  subject 
contended  that  this  sufficiently  accounted  for  the  good 
speed  made  in  retreat  by  that  gallant  regiment,  and  also 
for  its  leaving  more  fire-arms  than  dead  men  on  the  field. 

Indeed,  my  son,  each  man  ran  for  his  life,  the  excite- 
ment increasing  at  every  step,  until  the  race  became 
general;  and  in  this  way  it  was  kept  up  until  our 
grand  army  of  gallant  militiamen  reached  the  forts, 
when  they  breathed  freer  and  felt  safe.  This  was  a 
dark  day  for  Washington  and  the  nation,  which  became 
bowed  down  with  sorrow  and  disappointment.  The 
brave  general  followed  his  army  into  Washington;  and 
I  have  heard  it  intimated  that  he  boasted  of  having  the 
most  fleet-footed  divisions  history  had  any  account  of. 

You  will  see,  my  son,  that  forts  have  a  moral  as  well 
as  a  material  effect.  The  enemy  might,  had  he  known 
our  forlorn  condition,  have  followed  up  his  victory  and 
marched  into  Washington  with  flying  colors.  He  was 
probably  restrained  by  his  fears  of  what  we  might  have 
in  store  for  him  when  he  reached  the  forts.  As  to  the 
provisions  for  the  feast,  we  left  them  for  the  enemy  to 
enjoy,  which  he  did  with  many  thanks  to  us  for  the 
bounty,  his  own  fare  being  very  scanty.  And  now,  my 
son,  I  shall  leave  to  my  artist  the  task  of  giving  you 
an  exact  picture  of  our  army  as  it  appeared  on  its  way 
to  Washington  after  the  battle  of  Bull-Run. 

36 


SIEGE    OF    WASHINGTON. 


CHAPTER  V. 


GENERAL     M OLELLAN. 


THE  wise  men  of  Washington  agreed  that  McDowell 
was  not  the  general  we  took  him  for,  so  we  sent  for 
George  B.  McClellan,  who  had  been  whipping  the 
rebels  up  in  Northern  Virginia.  We  felt  sure  that  he 
was  the  man  who  would  whip  the  rebels  for  us,  and 
gain  us  victories ;  who  would  dispel  the  gloom  hanging 

37 


SIEGE    or    WASHINGTON. 


over  the  land,  and  bring  us  plenty  of  sunshine.  Indeed, 
my  son,  the  nation  began  to  feel  very  happy  in  the 
possession  of  such  a  man ;  for,  according  to  the  news- 
papers, he  had  displayed  remarkable  military  traits 
when  only  a  boy,  such  as  great  attention  to  the  study 
of  maps,  and  the  making  of  little  dirt  piles.  It  was 
also  added  that  while  yet  a  youth  he  was  very  obedient 
to  his  father,  and  affectionately  fond  of  his  mother. 
And  these  excellent  traits  of  character,  in  one  so  young, 
it  was  held  by  our  wise  men,  must,  when  improved  and 
enlarged  by  manhood,  make  the  man,  who  had  given 
his  mind  to  the  study  of  arms,  a  great  general.  So,  my 
son,  you  see  what  an  opportunity  there  is  before  you. 

Well,  George  came  to  us  flush  from  the  field  of  his 
glories,  and  we  proceeded  at  once  to  make  him  a  hero 
before  he  had  made  us  an  army.  The  nation  recovered 
from  its  disappointment,  the  sky  brightened,  the  people 
began  to  send  into  the  capital  troops  of  a  different  sort, 
and  the  general  we  had  put  our  faith  in  went  to  work 
making  an  army — the  grand  old  Army  of  the  Potomac. 
Now,  my  son,  it  was  no  small  job  to  make  an  army, 
and  when  you  have  made  it  to  so  improve  its  drill  and 
discipline  that  it  will  stand  firm  and  fight  well.  It  is 
just  as  necessary,  my  son,  to  harden  the  constitution 
of  a  new  army  as  it  is  to  so  sharpen  its  digestion  that  it 
will  relish  the  coarsest  of  fare.  And  you  can  do  nei- 

33 


SIEGE    OF    WASHINGTON. 


ther  of  these  things  in  a  day.  You  must  also  cultivate 
and  improve  the  courage  of  a  new  army.  •  And  this 
can  only  be  done'  by  experience  in  the  field.  General 
George  taught  his  army  to  do  all  these  things,  and  do 
them  well.  And  the  nation  felt  grateful  to  him  for 
what  he  was  doing,  and  sang  songs  in  his  praise.  And 
the  army  respected  and  loved  General  George.  And 
General  George  loved  and  was  proud  of  his  army.  The 
sky  of  our  hopes  brightened  then,  and  the  nation 
rejoiced  and  felt  strong  again.  We  all  felt  that  when 
spring  came  Mr.  Beauregard  and  his  men  would  be 
driven  to  the  wall;  that  we  should  march  on  and 
take  Eichmond;  and  that  General  George  was  just  the 
man  to  do  it  all  for  us. 

Then  an  evil  hour  came.  The  nation  got  in  an  im- 
patient mood.  And  while  General  George  was  harden- 
ing the  constitution  of  his  army  on  the  banks  of  the 
Potomac,  a  great  many  restless,  discontented,  and  evil- 
disposed  persons  sprang  up,  declared  that  he  was  no 
general  at  all,  and  that  to  command  armies  was  the 
business  of  politicians,  not  soldiers.  During  war  every 
nation  has  its  mischievous  men,  who,  to  create  notoriety 
for  themselves,  make  war  in  their  own  way  on  the 
great  soldiers  who  are  struggling  to  preserve  its  honor. 
These  men  were  our  misfortune.  They  proceeded  to 
make  war  on  General  George,  to  persecute  him,  and  to 

39 


SIEGE    OF    WASHINGTON. 


destroy  his  usefulness  with  the  army.  These  men 
affected  to  know  a  great  deal  about  war ;  but  I  noticed, 
my  son,  that  they  were  very  unwilling  to  shoulder  a 
musket  and  face  the  enemy.  They  wanted  General 
George  to  move  on  in  the  middle  of  winter,  drive  Mr. 
Beauregard  out  of  Manassas,  and  take  Richmond.  And 
all  this  while  the  mud  was  so  deep  that  he  could  not 
drag  his  wagons  through  it  George  very  sensibly 
refused  to  destroy  his  army  in  this  way.  Indeed,  he 
foresaw  that  to  follow  their  advice  would  be  to  bring 
the  nation  to  grief  a  second  time.  This  increased  the 
discontent  and  opposition  of  his  enemies,  who  regarded 
it  a  great  grievance  that  ,a  general  would  not  follow 
their  advica 

But  George  was  not  to  be  driven  into  the  mud  by  a 
set  of  meddlesome  civilians,  who  knew  nothing  about 
war.  And  to  show  them  that  he  was  not,  he  kept  his 
army  quiet,  on  the  banks  of  the  Potomac,  all  winter. 
And  in  this  position  he  contemplated  Mr.  Beauregard, 
and  Mr.  Beauregard  contemplated  him,  separated  by 
twenty  miles  of  mud.  We  had  not  got  our  war  eyes 
open  then,  my  son.  In  truth,  we  had  but  a  very  im- 
perfect idea  of  what  an  amount  of  resistance  a  resolute 
and  determined  foe,  standing  on  the  defensive,  can  offer. 

When  it  was  spring,  and  the  birds  had  come  back  to 
us,  and  the  prospect  looked  bright  and  cheering,  and 

40 


SIEGE    OF    WASHINGTON. 


the  hopes  of  the  nation  ran  high,  George  mounted  his 
horse,  and,  picking  up  his  army,  moved  out  in  the 
direction  of  Kichmond,  taking  the  overland  route.  He 
sent  word  to  Mr  Beauregard  to  wait  until  he  came  and 
he  would  thrash  him  out  of  Manassas.  But  Mr.  Beau- 
regard  was  not  inclined  to  accommodate  George  with  a 
fight  at  that  particular  point,  where  his  elbows  were  so 
exposed,  and  stepped  quietly  out  by  the  back  door  before 
George  got  there.  In  short,  all  George  saw  of  Mr.  Beau- 
regard  and  his  men  was  the  tails  of  their  coats  and  the 
heels  of  their  boots,  away  in  the  shadowy  distance. 
People  said  Mr.  Beauregard  did  not  do  the  clean  thing 
to  slip  away  in  such  a  manner.  And  there  were  those 
who  scolded  General  George  for  letting  him  get  off  in 
this  shabby  way ;  but  how  he  was  to  prevent  it  I  never 
could  see.  Mr.  Beauregard  was  kind  enough  to  leave 
us  an  army  of  log  houses,  and  his  smouldering  camp 
fires,  around  which  a  number  of  sooty  negroes  were 
grouped,  shivering  and  forlorn.  And  these  were  all  we 
had  to  be  thankful  to  him  for. 

A  great  storm  arose  while  we  were  at  Manassas. 
Snow,  rain,  and  hail  fell,  the  wind  blew  cold  and 
piercing,  and  the  face  of  the  country  became  melan- 
choly. And  the  army  became  melancholy,  and  sick,  for 
it  was  stuck  in  the  mud,  and  was  suffering  for  some- 
thing to  eat,  though  so  near  Washington.  And  the 

41 


SIEGE    OF    WASHINGTON. 


poor  animals  got  sick,  and  began  dying,  for  there  was 
nothing  for  them  to  eat.  There  was  no  following  Mr. 
Beauregard  to  Richmond  over  such  a  muddy  road, 
which  looked  very  long  then,  and  very  dangerous. 
George  was  put  to  his  wits  to  know  what  to  do  next 
There  was  no  persuading  Mr.  Beauregard  to  stop  long 
enough  to  let  us  strike  him  square  in  the  stomach,  so 
George  hit  upon  a  great  plan,  whereby  wonders  were 
to  be  worked  in  the  art  of  strategy.  -He  conceived  the 
grand  idea  of  taking  his  army  to  sea,  avoiding  the  mud, 
and  after  enjoying  a  pleasant  voyage,  finding  a  shorter 
and  better  road  to  Richmond.  We  all  know  at  what  a 
disadvantage  you  can  take  a  man  when  you  get  in  his 
rear.  George  felt  that  if  he  could  take  advantage  of 
this  on  an  enlarged  plan  he  could  have  Mr.  Beauregard 
just  where  he  wanted  him.  That  is,  if  he  could  get  in 
his  rear  before  he  got  to  Richmond,  he  would  have 
him  and  his  men  hived,  and  could  give  them  a  good 
thrashing,  and  then  step  quietly  in  and  take  the  city. 
But  it  is  not  so  easy  a  matter  to  get  in  the  rear  of  a 
gentleman  who  keeps  his  eyes  open.  Nor,  my  son, 
have  I  ever  before  heard  that  it  was  wise  in  a  great 
general  .to  perform  a  feat  in  grand  circle  sailing  to  gain 
an  advantage  over  an  adversary  who  occupied  the  same 
roads  with  him.  But  George  made  up  his  mind  that 
he  knew  better  than  all  of  us,  so  he  took  his  army  to 

42 


SIEGE    OP    WASHINGTON. 


sea,  became  a  great  navigator  as  well  as  a  general, 
and  sailed  for  the  Peninsula,  where  some  good  friend 
had  told  him  there  were  finer  weather  and  harder 
roads. 

The  greatest  of  generals,  my  son,  are  liable  to  disap- 
pointment. They  may  drive  the  enemy,  and  win  vic- 
tories ;  but  they  cannot  control  the  elements.  That  was 
what  bothered  George.  It  was  all  very  pleasant  to  give 
his  army  an  airing  at  sea,  but  when  he  was  safely 
landed  on  the  Peninsula,  he  found  himself  further  from 
Richmond  than  when  he  started.  Instead  of  mud  he 
ibund  dangerous  quicksands,  into  which  his  army 
plunged  and  sank  almost  out  of  sight.  And  there  was 
no  better  weather  on  the  Peninsula  than  at  Manassas. 
His  cavalrymen,  when  they  had  got  their  sea-legs  off, 
and  mounted,  cut  a  sorry  figure  in  the  quicksand. 
And  his  artillery  sunk  above  its  boots.  Indeed  it 
was  with  the  greatest  difficulty  his  a/my  could  be 
kept  on  the  surface.  There  was  no  getting  a  firm 
understanding. 

When  George  had  got  his  army  "all  ashore,"  he  set 
out  on  his  grand  journey  to  Richmond.  But  when  he 
had  waded  for  twenty  miles  or  so  through  quicksands, 
he  halted  before  a  little  old  town  called  Yorktown. 
Now  the  old  women  along  the  road  told  George  that  he 
had  better  have  nothing  to  do  with  Yorktown,  that 

43 


SIEGE    OF    WASHINGTON. 


Yorktown  was  not  much  account  anynow,  and  not 
worth  spending  much  powder  on.  They  told  him  also 
that  although  Mr.  Beauregard  had  not  been  seen,  there 
was  one  General  Johnson,  who  had  just  come  to  town 
with  a  large  army  ;  and  had  made  no  end  of  sand  heaps, 
and  put  mighty  big  guns  on  them.  That  he  would 
not  find  it  so  easy  to  get  into  Yorktown  while  General 
Johnson  sat  smoking  his  pipe  behind  them  big  sand 
heaps.  And  so  it  proved. 

44 


SIEGE    OF    WASHINGTON. 


CHAPTPJR  VI. 

NOBODY   HOME   AT   YORKTOWN. 

THIS,  my  son,  is  an 
exact  portrait  of  the 
general  who  sat  behind 
the  great  sand  heaps 
at  Yorktown,  smoking 
his  pipe,  and  gave  our 
George  so  much  trouble. 
George  and  he  had 
been  old  friends  and 
playmates  at  school, 
where  they  had  played 
pitch  and  toss  in  a 
harmless  way.  So  it  is 
natural  to  suppose  they 
knew  each  other's  game 
perfectly  well.  George 
took  the  hint  given  him 
by  the  old  women  along 

the  road,  and  when  he   got   to  Yorktown   he  saw  clear 
enough  that  his  old  friend  Johnston  was  playing  a  game 

45 


GENERAL   JOHNSTON. 


SIEGE    OF    WASHINGTON. 


of  brag  with  his  big  sand  hills.  And  to  show  Mr. 
Johnston  that  he  was  not  to  be  outdone  in  that  line  of 
art,  George,  when  he  had  settled  his  army  down  in  the 
soft  ground,  went  to  work  satisfying  the  nation  that  he 
could  build  just  as  big  sand  heaps  as  any  other  general. 
In  short,  my  son,  George  found  himself  in  a  worse  pre- 
dicament than  he  was  in  at  Manassas,  for  his  friend 
Johnston  had  a  large  army,  and  stronger  works  than 
Mr.  Beauregard  left  behind  him.  So  his  army  laid 
down  its  guns,  and  took  up  the  spade,  and  went 
largely  into  the  ditching  and  dyking  business.  He 
made  sand  heaps  bigger  than  Mr.  Johnston's,  and 
stretched  them  all  the  way  across  the  Peninsula,  so 
that  there  was  no  getting  on  either  side  of  him.  And 
when  he  had  done  this  he  mounted  them  with  the  big- 
gest cannon,  which  he  intended  to  fire  when  he  got 
them  all  up  ;  so  as  to  make  a  magnificent  display  of 
substantial  fire-works,  and  in  that  way  frighten  Mr. 
Johnston  out  of  town.  So  careful  was  George  not  to 
do  his  old  friend  any  bodily  injury  before  he  got  all 
his  guns  mounted,  that  he  would  only  exchange  com- 
pliments with  him  at  morning  and  evening,  when 
a  few  shells  would  be  tossed  backward  and  forward, 
just  to  preserve  what  was  called  the  etiquette  of  war. 
I  have  sometimes  thought  these  compliments  were 
exchanged  with  the  very  best  of  motives,  intended  only 

46 


SIEGE    OF    WASHINGTON. 


to  change  the  monotony  of  camp  life  with  a  little  ex- 
citement. 

When  George  and  his  army  had  toiled  hard  for 
nearly  a  month,  had  thrown  up. a  whole  mountain  of 
sand  hills,  and  kept  on  crying  for  more  soldiers,  and 
had  got  almost  all  his  guns  mounted ;  and  was  just 
ready  to  bring  Yorktown  down  about  Mr.  Johnston's 
ears,  with  a  grand  display  of  substantial  fireworks,  that 
general  made  up  his  mind  not  to  be  served  in  that 
way.  Nor  would  he  accommodate  George  by  waiting 
to  see  his  grand  display  of  fireworks.  No,  my  son,  he 
was  not  the  man  to  be  caught  at  a  disadvantage,  or 
waste  powder  unnecessarily.  Some  kind  friend  in- 
formed him  of  George's  intentions,  so  he  packed  up  his 
baggage  one  night,  and  moved  himself  off,  leaving 
Yorktown  and  his  sand  hills  as  a  legacy  to  George, 
who  was  very  much  disappointed  at  being  treated  so 
shabbily  by  his  old  friend  and  playmate. 

People  said  General  Johnston  was  a  cunning  fox,  and 
not  to  be  caught  in  any  trap  our  George  could  set. 
But  George,  like  the  Irishman,  had  a  deal  of  pluck,  and 
a  big  heart,  and,  above  both,  a  great  deal  of  chivalry. 
Now  he  was  anxious  that  his  old  friend  should  not  go 
away  so  shabbily,  but  come  back,  and  either  breakfast 
with  him  or  accommodate  him  with  a  fight.  So  he 
sent  his  rough-riders  after  him,  and  they  proceeded  at  a 

4  47 


SIEGE    OF    WASHINGTON. 


rapid  pace,  and  came  up  with  him  on  the  outskirts 
of  Williamsburg,  where  General  Johnston  prepared  to 
fight  rather  than  come  to  breakfast.  There  both  armies 
came  together,  and  a.  great  battle  was  fought,  which 
lasted  two  days.  There  was  desperate  fighting  on  both 
sides,  and  a  great  many  were  killed  and  wounded,  and 
a  great  many  more  so  badly  frightened  that  they  kept 
out  of  the  fight,  which  they  held  to  be  a  proof  of  their 
wisdom. 

We  gained  a  great  victory  over  the  rebels  at  Williams- 
burg,  and  made  them  feel  so  ashamed  of  themselves 
that  they  resumed  their  march  backwards  on  the  road 
to  Kichmond.  And  this  battle  and  this  victory  attached 
our  good  Union  soldiers  more  closely  to  General  George. 
Indeed,  my  son,  they  loved  him,  and  looked  up  to  him 
as  a  dutiful  child  does .  to  a  kind  father.  They  marched 
up  the  Peninsula  singing  his  praises.  And  now,  my 
son,  let  me  enjoin  you  that  whenever  you  hear  the 
names  of  Generals  Hancock  and  Kearney  mentioned, 
respect  and  revere  them,  for  never  was  American  valor 
more  beautifully  illustrated  than  by  those  generals  on 
the  field  at  Williamsburg. 

Then  General  George  sent  the  right  wing  of  his  grand 
army,  under  General  Franklin,  by  water,  to  West  Point, 
where  he  fought  a  battle  with  General  Johnston's  rear- 
guard, and  gained  another  victory.  Then  both  armies 

48 


SIEGE    OF    WASHINGTON 


moved  leisurely  along,  up  the  Peninsula,  in  a  manner 
not  to  make  the  marching  uncomfortable.  It  rained  a 
great  deal,  and  the  roads  were  bad,  and  the  enemy 
resolved  not  to  be  hurried.  And  our  Government,  which 
was  not  so  wise  in  war  matters  then  as  it  got  to  be  in 
time,  was  not  disposed  to  do  anything  that  might  change 
General  Johnston's  resolution.  In  fine,  our  Government 
seemed  to  have  quite  as  big  a  quarrel  with  General 
George  as  it  had  with  the  rebels,  and  the  politicians 
held  it  of  more  importance  to  destroy  our  own  general 
than  the  rebel  army.  The  Government  was  just  as  fair 
as  fair  could  be  in  making  promises  to  General  George. 
But  then  the  Government  seemed  to  have  a  short  mem- 
ory, and  forgot  its  promises  almost  as  soon  as  it  had 
made  them.  It  promised  to  send.  General  McDowell, 
who  was  not  far  away,  to  help  George  fight  the  rebels 
and  take  Richmond.  But  the  Government  forgot  to  do 
so;  and  instead,  kept  that  gallant  officer  looking  from 
the  hills  of  Fredericksburg,  to  see  if  the  rebels  were 
coming  in  that  direction.  To  tell  you  the  truth,  my 
son,  our  Government  was  so  afraid  that  the  rebels 
would  turn  short  around  and  take  Washington,  and 
make  prisoners  of  its  cabinet  officers,  that  it  made 
"look-out  generals"  of  so  many  brave  officers,  who  had 
troops  under  their  command,  that  it  had  none  to  send 
General  George  to  assist  in  taking  Richmond.  It  may 

49 


SIEGE    OF    WASHINGTON. 


however,  be  a  consolation  to  us  to  know  that  this  would 
not  have  been  the  first  time,  in  the  history  of  the  world, 
that  fear  had  cost  a  great  nation  its  fortunes  and  its 
glories. 

General  George  marched  leisurely  along  with  his  brave 
army  until  he  came  within  four  miles  of  Kichmond, 
where  there  was  a  great  swamp  called  the  Chicka- 
hominy.  The  name  of  this  swamp  will  be  long  remem- 
bered by  our  brave  soldiers  of  the  Army  of  the  Poto- 
mac. The  rain  fell  like  a  deluge,  and  flooded  it;  and 
it  gave  out  deadly  fevers,  which  brought  death  and 
tribulation  on  our  army.  And  in  this  swamp  our  army 
fought  the  battle  of  Fair  Oaks,  and  gained  another 
grand  victory  over  the  enemy.  But  we  had  no  means 
of  following  up  this  victory,  and  so  its  effect  was  lost 
to  us.  Then  our  army  settled  down  into  this  deadly 
swamp,  and  wondered  and  waited  for  nearly  a  month, 
until  our  men  got  heart-sick  and  fever-stricken.  We 
watched  the  enemy  on  the  hills  beyond ;  and  the  enemy 
watched  us  in  the  swamp.  And  we  waited  until  the 
enemy  had  brought  all  his  forces  up  into  Kichmond, 
and  General  Lee,  his  best  general,  had  taken  command. 
Things  began  to  look  desperate  with  our  George,  and 
he  began  thinking  how  he  should  get  safely  out  of  the 
swamp  and  change  his  base.  How  was  he  to  fight  Mr. 
Lee  with  all  his  strength,  when  the  strength  we  ought 

50 


SIEGE    OF    WASHINGTON. 


to  have  sent  him  was  kept  at  .a  safe  distance  looking 
on?  George  saw  that  the  glories  of  Williamsburg,  of 
West  Point,  of  Hanover  Court  House,  and  of  Fair  Oaks 
would  have  to  be  thrown  away  because  the  wisdom  of 
the  nation  would  not  send  us  aid. 

This,  my  son,  was  the  day  of  our  tribulation.  The 
people  were  strong,  and  the  army  represented  the  people. 
I  wish,  my  son,  that  I  could  say  also  that  the  Govern- 
ment was  strong.  But  the  army,  if  it  was  sick,  had  not 
lost  its  courage,  nor  its  love  for  the  general  who  com- 
manded it. 

General  Lee  then  came  out  with  his  strong  and  pow- 
erful army  and  fought  us  at  Gaines's  Mill,  where  he 
beat  us  after  a  desperate  battle.  We  might  as  well  con- 
fess that  we  were  beaten,  and  badly  beaten,  in  that 
battle;  and  that  we  had  to  make  the  best  we  could  of 
our  defeat,  and  get  across  the  Chickahominy  Swamp  as 
quick  as  we  could,  and  turn  our  backs  on  it  forever, 
for  we  had  filled  it  with  the  graves  of  our  brave  sol- 
diers. George  was  sanguine,  had  great  confidence  in  the 
endurance  of  his  army,  and  looked  forward  to  the  future 
with  faith  and  hope.  He  did  not  want  to  acknowledge 
that  he  was  beaten  at  Gaines's  Mill ;  but  the  nation 
made  up  its  mind  that  he  was.  Indeed,  the  nation 
could  not  comprehend  the  principle  of  generalship  that 
claimed  a  victory,  and  at  the  same  time  made  a  change 

61 


SIEGE    OF    WASHINGTON. 


of  base  necessary  in  the.  face  of  an  advancing  enemy. 
But  George  got  his  army  safe  across  the  Chickahominy, 
though  in  some  confusion,  and  instead  of  driving  the 
enemy  to  the  wall,  as  he  had  promised  us  he  would  do, 
the  enemy  began  driving  him  to  the  James  River. 

Like  the  Irishman  who  had  twice  got  his  head  broken, 
but  was  unwilling  to  say  he  was  beaten,  George  con- 
tinued to  show  General  Lee  that  our  army  was  still  full 
of  pluck. 

So  he  turned  round  and  thrashed  the  enemy  right 
soundly  at  Savage's  Station,  at  White  Oak  Swamp,  and 
at  Malvern  Hill — -just  to  show  that  he  could  do  it. 
These  are  places,  my  son,  you  shall  read  of  in  history. 
And  the  glories  of  the  battles  fought  at  them  shall 
become  brighter  and  brighter  as  we  contemplate  them; 
and  new  lustre  will  shed  on  the  names  of  the  officers 
who  fought  them,  and  set  such  noble  examples  of 
courage  to  their  men.  It  was  George's  misfortune  that 
he  fought  these  battles  and  gained  these  victories  while 
his  arrny  was  moving  backward  instead  of  forward — 
while  seeking  a  place  of  safety  instead  of  driving  the 
enemy  to  seek  one.  This  makes  a  great  difference  with 
the  public,  which  does  not  generally  study  the  rules  of 
strategy,  and  does  not  like  to  see  an  army  fall  back 
after  it  has  gained  what  its  commander  claims  to  be  a 
great  victory. 

52 


SIEGE    OF    WASHINGTON. 


CHAPTER  VII 

POPE   DID   IT. 


HERE,  my  son, 
you  have  an  exact 
portrait  of  the 
great  general  who 
was  brought  to 
Washington  to 
command  all  our 
armies,  and  to  keep 
us  from  making 
any  more  military 
mistakes.  He  is 
presented  to  you  „ 
just  as  he  sat  in 
his  easy  chair,  con- 
founding the  rules 
of  war  and  bringing 
confusion  on  the 
army.  This  great 
general,  though  he 
had  never  fought 
a  battle,  except  on 


53 


SIEGE    OF    WASHINGTON. 


paper,   brought    with    him   from   the  West    a    new  and 
much  enlarged  plan  for  taking  Richmond. 

General  George  was  on  the  banks  of  the  James  River, 
with  his  army,  pointing  with  his  sword  toward  Rich- 
mond, as  the  heart  of  the  rebellion,  and  offering  to  take 
it  for  us  if  we  would  only  send  him  twenty-five  thou- 
sand fresh  men,  which  very  reasonable  proposal  we 
declined.  Indeed  the  general  we  had  placed  in  the 
easy  chair  at  Washington,  over  George,  declared  it  as 
his  solemn  conviction  that  Richmond  was  not  to  be 
taken  in  any  such  way.  That  an  army  so  near  Rich- 
mond could  not  take  it  with  advantage.  That  objective 
points  must  be  reached  over  the  right  road,  not  the 
wrong  one.  That  General  George,  having  taken  his 
army  to  Richmond  over  the  wrong  road,  must  bring  it 
back  over  the  same  wrong  road,  and  then  proceed  on 
his  travels  over  the  right  road.  That  Richmond,  unless 
approached  over  the  right  road  could  not  be  taken  in 
the  right  way.  That  General  George  had  deceived  us, 
inasmuch  as  his  plan  had  too  much  strategy  in  it,  and 
not  enough  straight  lines.  That  Richmond,  to  be  taken 
in  the  right  way,  must  be  taken  by  a  new  general,  with 
a  new  army,  and  according  to  new  ideas.  That  it  was 
better  to  keep  Washington  from  being  taken  than  to 
take  Richmond,  though  we  had  a  large  army  knocking 
at  its  gates.  This  was  the  military  logic  of  our  new 

54 


SIEGE    OF    WASHINGTON. 


Commander-in-Chief.  And  this  was  the  great  Com- 
mander-in-Chief  who  was  to  conduct  the  war  for  us  on 
enlarged  principles  and  keep  the  nation  safe  against 
blunders. 

This  great  general,  then,  when  he  had  got  comfortably 
settled  in  his  easy  chair,  must  needs  show  the  people 
what  faith  he  had  in  his  new  plan.  So  he  ordered 
little  George  to  pack  up  his  baggage,  stop  knocking  at 
the  enemy's  back  door,  and  bring  his  army  back  to 
Washington  on  transports.  Of  course  the  rebels  were 
very  thankful  to  him  for  this  act  of  kindness,  as  it 
evinced  a  disposition  to  conduct  the  war  for  their  bene- 
fit. With  General  George  and  his  army  on  their  way 
to  Washington  by  ship,  Eichmond  was  no  longer  be- 
sieged. And  then  the  rebel  army  was  at  liberty  to  go 
where  it  pleased.  And  it  very  soon  pleased  General 
Lee  to  march  it  against  Washington  at  a  rapid  pace, 
and  over  the  shortest  road.  We  had  an  army  at  sea, 
and  a  number  of  others  we  did  not  know  just  exactly 
where.  So  things  military  began  to  get  so  confused 
that  the  people  did  not  understand  them.  They  were 
requested  to  be  patient,  however,  and  patient  they  had 
to  be. 

Well,  my  son,  we  brought  the  scattered  battalions 
we  had  on  their  front  together  at  the  forts,  and  soon 
formed  a  good  fighting  army.  But  where  was  the  new 

55 


SIEGE   OF   WASHINGTON. 

general  to  lead  it  to  victory  for  us  ?  The  government 
cast  about  it  for  a  man,  and  at  last  fixed  its  eye  on 
Pope.  He  was  the  shining  star  among  generals,  the 
man  to  take  the  buckrum  out  of  the  rebels  for  us. 
And  it  was  said  of  this  great  general  that  he  pos- 
sessed uncommon  virtues.  His  friends  laid  numerous 
feats  of  valor  at  his  door,  and  the  whole  history  of 
war  was  ransacked  to  find  another  such  a  hero.  He 
had  captured  Islands,  whipped  rebel  armies  (I  have 
forgotten  how  many),  and  bagged  invisible  prisoners 
enough  to  satisfy  a  Napoleon.  This  great  general,  too, 
was  remarkable  for  his  modesty ;  and  he  was  also  a  man 
of  strict  veracity.  Yes,  my  son,  considering  the  times, 
he  was  a  rare  example  of  a  man  who  never  boasts  of 
his  achievements,  nor  claims  a  feather  that  belongs  to 
another  man's  cap.  Such  were  the  virtues  of  this 
great  general. 

Well,  my  son,  we    sent  for    him   to   come   to  Wash- 
ington and  take  care  of  us,  and  he  came. 

56 


SIEGE   OF   WASHINGTON. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 


HOW   THE   NEW    GENERAL   CAME   TO   TOWN. 

MY  artist  has 
drawn  you  an  ex- 
act picture  of  the 
manner  in  which 
this  great  general 
entered  the  capital 
of  the  nation.  The 
skies  brightened,  and 
the  country  felt  safe 
again  at  the  thought 
of  having  such  a 
hero.  Children 
laughed  and  gam- 
boled, and  said  the 
rebels  would  get  it 
now  Pope  had  come 
to  town.  Dogs  ran 
out,  and  barked, 
and  snapped  for  joy.  The  crowd  pressed  for- 
ward to  look  at  him,  and  policemen,  for  once,  had 

3*  57 


SIEGE   OF    WASHINGTON. 


enough  to  do.  Fair  women  waived  handkerchiefs  and 
threw  him  kisses.  And  many  were  they  who  mar- 
velled that  so  great  a  soldier  had  remained  so  long 
undiscovered.  You  see,  my  son,  we  are  a  people 
much  given  to  excitement,  and  when  we  get  to  heap- 
ing honors  on  a  man  we  do  it  without  mercy.  Hence  it 
pleased  us  much  when  we  saw  Pope  come  to  town 
amidst  the  beating  of  drums  and  the  blowing  of  horns. 
That  was  the  way  he  came. 

I  have  spoken  of  this  great  general's  modesty,  my 
son.  It  will  also  be  necessary  for  me  to  inform  you 
that  he  introduced  a  new  idea  in  war,  one  worthy  of 
being  added  to  the  regulations,  and  that  was  that  every 
general  should  be  his  own  trumpeter,  as  well  as  keep  a 
number  of  trumpeters  in  his  employ. 

Then  Pope  went  out  to  see  and  have  a  talk  with 
his  army.  He  also  published  a  grand  order  to  his 
soldiers,  which  will  stand  as  a  great  curiosity  in  our 
war  literature,  as  long  as  the  history  of  the  rebellion, 
for  its  wisdom  astonished  the  people.  He  told  them  the 
war  had  been  carried  on  after  a  strange  fashion,  which 
he  intended  should  be  changed.  He  enjoined  them, 
in  a  word,  neither  to  look  to  the  right  nor  the  left,  but  to 
keep  straight  ahead,  with  their  steel  sharp  and  their 
powder  dry.  And  when  they  got  near  enough  to  the 
enemy  to  see  the  color  of  his  eye,  then  deliver  their  lead 

58 


SIEGE    OF    WASHINGTON. 


right  square  into  his  stomach.  That  was  the  way  war 
must  be  carried  on.  Our  army  must  look  only  to  the 
front,  keep  its  eye  open,  and  forget  that  there  was  such  a 
thing  as  its  rear. 

This  was  highly  encouraging  to  those  politicians  who 
said  our  army  must  get  to  Richmond  over  the  shortest 
road.  After  what  I  have  said,  my  son,  you  will  not 
fail  to  see  what  a  great  general  this  Pope  was.  Great 
generals  were  not  generally  generous  enough  to  intrust  the 
care  of  their  rear  to  the  enemy.  But  this  was  not  all. 
He  established  his  headquarters  in  the  saddle,  and  told 
his  soldiers  they  would  always  find  him  there.  My 
opinion  has  always  been,  though  I  have  never  had 
much,  to  do  with  war,  that  the  general  who  establishes 
his  headquarters  in  the  saddle,  was  not  always  to  be 
found  when  you  wanted  him.  In  short,  the  saddle 
is  a  very  uncertain  locality,  and  very  difficult  to  find 
when  you  have  information  to  convey,  and  orders  to 
receive ;  both  of  which  may  be  necessary  during  a 
battle.  I  rode  an  hour  once  to  find  a  general  whose 
headquarters  were  in  the  saddle,  and  did  n't  find  him 
after  all. 

When,  then,  this  great  general  had  shown  us  how 
the  rebels  were  to  be  whipped,  he  went  out  to  take 
command  of  his  army.  And  again  there  was  great 
blowing  of  horns  and  beating  of  drums.  And  when 

59 


S i  K G E    OF    WASHINGTON. 


he  had  got  his  headquarters  firmly  established  in  the 
saddle,  he  invited  the  enemy  to  come  forward  and  get 
whipped.  And  the  enemy  came  forward  in  all  their 
strength, — fierce  and  earnest,  and  a  great  and  bloody 
battle  was  fought  on  the  plains  of  Manassas.  And 
when  they  had  fought  for  three  days  General  Pope 
declared  his  new  method  of  carrying  on  the  war  was  a 
great  success ;  that  he  had  got  the  rebels  j  ust  where 
he  wanted  them,  and  would  have  them  all  in  his 
trap  for  us  to-morrow.  We  all  threw  up  our  caps  and 
felt  so  happy  at  this  good  news.  But  our  hopes  were 
dashed  to  the  ground  again,  and  it  turned  out  that  our 
Pope  had  made  a  slight  mistake.  It  was  the  rebels 
who  had  got  him  just  where  they  wanted.  The  saddle 
was  not  a  good  place  from  which  to  see  what  the 
enemy  were  doing.  And  as  Pope  had  given  no  heed 
to  his  rear,  General  Lee  very  wisely  took  the  respon- 
sibility of  giving  that  important  position  his  attention. 

When,  then,  to-morrow  came,  our  general,  who  was 
to  give  the  rebels  such  a  whipping  for  us,  found  them 
in  his  rear,  on  his  flank,  everywhere  but  where  he 
wanted  them.  The  very  natural  result  of  this  was  that 
his  army  resolved  itself  into  a  state  of  confusion,  and 
in  that  manner  came  scampering  back  on  Washington, 
leaving  its  commander  to  take  care  of  himself,  which 
he  did,  though  with  the  loss  of  his  wardrobe.  It  has 

60 


SIEGE    OF    WASHINGTON. 


been  hinted  that  he  returned  to  Washington  a  much 
wiser  general  than  when  he  left  it. 

The  nation  was  again  brought  to  grief,  and  fear  and 
disorder  reigned  in  Washington.  People  were  heard  to 
say  that  Pope  had  made  a  prodigious  failure,  and  was 
not  the  general  we  took  him  for,  or  he  never  would 
have  let  his  army  run  away  from  him  in  this  way. 
Others  declared  he  had  opened  the  gates  of  the  city  to 
the  enemy,  and  invited  him  to  walk  in.  And  it  was 
not  with  feelings  of  encouragement  that  they  saw  gun- 
boats move  up  and  take  position  where  they  could 
check  the  enemy's  approach.  Never  did  general  lose 
his  laurels  so  quickly.  Indeed,  my  son,  when  he  re- 
turned to  Washington,  with  little  else  than  his  saddle, 
there  was  not  a  dog  to  bark  him  a  welcome,  nor  a 
chambermaid  to  wave  a  napkin  in  his  honor. 

Timid  people  fancied  every  hour  of  the  day  that 
they  could  see  the  rebel  army  deploying  over  the  hills 
of  Arlington,  and  loud  calls  were  made  for  a  general 
who  could  save  us.  But  we  had  something  better  than 
a  mere  general  to  save  us.  We  had  the  grim  and 
silent  strength  of  the  forts.  And  these  the  enemy  dare 
not  approach.  Their  effect  on  the  enemy  was  manifest, 
and  he  turned  aside  from  them,  and  passed  up  into 
Maryland,  victorious  and  defiant. 

I  ought   to    tell    you,  my    son,  that   while    Pope  was 

61 


•SIEGE    OF    WASHINGTON. 


illustrating  the  beauties  of  his  new  plan  at  the  front. 
and  bringing  confusion  on  our  arms,  General  George 
arrived  with  his  good  old  army  of  the  Potomac,  which 
still  loved  him,  still  worshipped  him  as  its  hero.  And 
just  when  he  was  most  needed,  to  save  Pope  from  his 
disaster,  the  government  relieved  him  of  his  command, 
as  if  to  increase  the  confusion  already  prevailing.  The 
army  felt  this  as  a  slight  offered  to  itself,  and  called 
loudly  for  the  restoration  of  its  favorite  general.  And 
then  the  general,  whose  portrait  I  have  placed  at  the 
head  of  a  previous  chapter,  and  who  sat  in  his  easy  chair 
in  Washington,  and  brought  our  armies  to  grief,  called 
loudly  for  General  George  to  come  and  help  him  out 
of  his  trouble.  This,  you  will  see,  mv  son,  was  first 
tying  a  man's  hands,  and  then  asking  him  to  come  and 
help  whip  a  giant. 

Yes,  my  son.  there  was  toil  and  trouble  enough  in 
Washington  just  then ;  and  the  errors  our  wise  men 
had  committed  were  like  witches  rising  up  and  haunt- 
ing them.  It  is  said  that  the  little  bell-ringer  of  the 
State  Department  had  his  traps  packed  up,  and  ready 
to  move  ;  and  that  fear  had  made  the  burly  man  in  the 
War  Department  civil.  Newly  recruited  volunteers,  well 
fed,  well  clothed,  and  fresh  looking,  were  marching  into 
the  city  with  colors  flying  and  drums  beating.  The 
militia,  which  had  come  to  Washington  to  do  orna- 

G2 


SIEGE    OF    WASHINGTON. 


mental  duty  for  thirty  days,  were  marching  home  with 
colors  flying  and  drums  beating.  Neither  of  these  could 
give  us  relief  in  our  trouble.  The  nation  had  only  the 
good  old  army  of  the  Potomac  to  lean  upon  in  this  its 
day  of  trouble.  And  how  few  of  us,  my  son,  think  of 
this  matter  properly,  or  are  willmg  to  give  the  brave 
men,  who  composed  that  army,  credit  for  what  they  had 
done.  Like  the  English,  we  are  an  exacting  people,  and 
inclined  to  ask  too  much  of  those  who  fight  our  battles: 
Some  of  our  public  men  were  for  forgetting  what  those 
sun-scorched,  ragged,  and  fever-stricken  heroes  had  done 
for  us  on  the  Peninsula,  and  even  for  wiping  out  their 
record  of  heroism. 

I  confess  it  was  to  me  a  sad  and  touching  sight  to 
see  these  soldiers,  who  had  served  their  country  so  well, 
who  had  suffered  in  swamps,  and  fought  and  defeated 
the  enemy,  treated  with  what  seemed  to  me  criminal 
indifference  in  the  very  capital  they  had  returned  to  save. 
They  muttered  their  discontent  at  the  loss  of  their 
favorite  commander,  but  were  ready  again  to  go  forth, 
struggle  with  the  enemy,  and  fight  for  the  life  of  the 
nation.  But  not  a  voice  was  raised  by  the  government 
to  thank  them  for  what  they  had  done,  not  a  cheer  to 
welcome  their  return.  You  must  know,  my  son,  that 
the  government  was  dumb  with  fear.  The  ghost  of  its 
errors  so  haunted  it  that  its  lips  were  sealed.  The 

5  63 


SIEGE    OF    WASHINGTON 


people  looked  on  and  saw  it,  in  its  very  feebleness,  ask- 
ing for  stronger  hands  to  come  and  "help  it  out  of  its 
trouble. 

There  was,  my  son,  but  one  army  and  one  general 
that  could  save  the  nation  then.  General  George  was 
that  man,  and  the  army  was  the  good  old  Army  of  the 
Potomac.  And  the  government,  as  if  to  confess  its 
folly  in  the  past,  restored  General  George  to  his  army. 
And  there  was  great  rejoicing  over  the  land  when  this 
good  news  went  forth  to  the  people.  And  the  army 
took  more  heart,  and  rejoiced  also;  and  great  was  its 
rejoicing.  The  soldiers  had  confidence  in  him,  and 
knew  he  could  lead  them  to  victory.  Then  he  placed 
himself  at  their  head  and  marched  out  in  pursuit  of  the 
enemy,  who  was  advancing  triumphantly  into  the  North. 
And  who  among  us  can  tell  what  changes  there  would 
have  been  in  our  political  and  social  condition  had  not 
the  advance  of  this  bold  and  triumphant  enemy  been 
checked  by  some  strong  hand?  I  have  often  thought, 
my  son,  that  if  the  people  of  a  republic  were  as  ready 
to  credit  great  men  with  the  good  they  really  do,  as 
they  are  to  search  their  characters  for  faults,  we  should 
have  less  pretenders  and  a  better  government. 

64 


SIEGE    OF    WASHINGTON. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 


A     BRIGHTER     PROSPECT. 

You  have  here 
an  exact  picture  of 
the  brave  Frank- 
lin, who  command- 
ed the  gallant  old 
Sixth  Corps,  which 
deserves  a  bright 
place  in  the  history 
of  the  Army  of  the 
Potomac. 

When  Pope  had 
finished  his  job  for 
us,  and  shown  us 
what  a  hero  he  was, 
the  government,  in 
the  exercise  of  its 
wisdom,  sent  him 
into  the  far  West  to 
fight  the  Indians,  where  he  could,  with  propriety,  estab- 
lish his  headquarters  in  the  saddle. 

65 


GKNKKAL    F'lANKUN. 


SIEGE    OF    WASHINGTON. 


Franklin,  who  had  been  relieved  of  his  command,  for 
no  one  exactly  knew  what,  was  now  restored  to  it,  to 
the  great  joy  of  the  old  Sixth  Corps.  Soldiers  fight 
better  under  a  general  they  know  and  have  confidence 
in ;  and  they  are  the  best  judges  as  to  who  is  the  most 
competent  to  lead  them.  Franklin  and  his  gallant  corps 
fell  in  with  the  enemy,  posted  in  a  strong  position  on 
the  South  Mountain,  at  Crampton's  Gap,  and  after  a 
fierce  fight,  drove  him  from  it  and  over  into  the  valley, 
sometimes  charging  up  the  steeps  with  the  bayonet. 
This  was  quite  an  important  success,  my  son,  since  it 
checked  the  enemy's  advance,  and  caused  him  to  fall 
back  on  the  plains  of  Antietam,  and  form  his  army  in 
line  of  battle.  Indeed,  he  so  far  mistook  this  move- 
ment as  to  believe  it  an  attempt  to  get  in  his  rear. 

This  gleam  of  success,,  gained  by  Franklin,  inspired 
the  nation  with  new  hope.  Yes,  my  son,  and  it  cheered 
the  hearts  of  our  brave  soldiers,  restored  their  strength, 
and  gave  them  new  confidence.  Then  General  George 
formed  his  army  in  line  on  the  plains  of  Antietam,  and 
a  great  and  bloody  battle  was  fought,  and  the  rebel 
army  beaten  and  put  to  flight.  Pay  no  heed,  my  son, 
to  what  the  prejudiced  may  say  of  this  battle.  It  was 
one  of  the  greatest  battles  fought  during  the  war.  All 
honor  to  the  brave  soldiers  who  fought  it.  Our  troops, 
too,  were  handled  with  great  skill,  and  the  world 

66 


SIEGE    OF    WASHINGTON. 


never  saw  better  generalship  than  our  George  displayed. 
Yes,  my  son,  Antietam  was  our  Waterloo,  fought  at  a 
time  when  the  nation  needed  a  victory  most;  and  the 
general  who  fought  it  ought  never  to  be  forgotten  by 
his  country.  When,  then,  George  had  gained  this  vic- 
tory for  us,  had  beaten  and  driven  the  enemy  from  all 
his  positions,  and  caused  the  nation  to  rejoice,  he  halted 
to  give  his  brave  soldiers  rest  and  repair  damages. 
His  losses  were  great,  and  he  had  compassion  on  his 
soldiers,  for  many  of  them  were  without  shoes  and  had 
little  raiment.  In  truth,  my  son,  these  brave,  abused, 
and  war-worn  soldiers  had  only  the  well-worn  shoes 
and  clothes  they  had  made  the  campaign  of  the  Penin- 
sula in. 

George  pleaded  the  necessity  of  his  soldiers  as  a  rea- 
son for  his  delay,  and  very  justly.  But  this  pleased 
neither  the  government  nor  the  politicians  whose  bit- 
terest prejudices  seemed  to  control  it.  These  gentlemen 
urged  that  he  follow  the  enemy  at  once  and  capture 
him,  a  piece  of  strategy  not  so  easily  accomplished  as 
many  think.  In  short,  we  were  in  no  position  to  fol- 
low the  enemy  until  we  got  shoes  and  raiment  for  our 
brave  soldiers.  Nor  could  we  have  added  much  to  our 
success  by  following  General  Lee  and  his  men,  who  had 
an  open  country  before  them,  until  we  were  well  pre- 
pared to  engage  them  in  another  battle.  When,  how- 

G7 


SIEGE    OF    WASHINGTON. 


ever,  George  got  his  army  ready,  he  moved  directly  on 
the  enemy,  and  his  soldiers  were  in  the  best  of  spirits, 
for  we  had  got  General  Lee  and  his  men  in  a  position 
where  he  would  be  compelled  to  fight  another  battle, 
with  the  advantages  in  our  favor.  Now  I  don't  say, 
my  son,  that  George  would  have  won  this  battle,  but 
by  fighting  it  he  would  have  exposed  the  enemy's  real 
weakness,  and  placed  him  in  a  very  bad  position.  But 
the  government,  as  if  more  willing  to  promote  the 
prejudices  of  politicians  than  to  preserve  the  honor  of 
our  arms,  resolved  not  to  let  George  fight  another  bat- 
tle. Yes,  my  son,  it  removed  him  from  his  command, 
and  that,  too,  when  he  was  close  up  with  the  enemy, 
and  was  expecting  every  day  to  engage  him  in  battle. 
I  do  not  remember  that  history  records  another  instance 
where  the  commander  of  an  army,  that  had  just  gained 
a  great  victory,  was  so  disgraced  by  his  own  govern- 
ment. 

The  enemy  could  not  have  inflicted  a  more  severe 
blow  on  our  brave  army  than  was  done  by  this  act  of 
our  own  government.  A  feeling  of  disappointment  and 
sorrow  ran  through  the  ranks,  and  the  brave  men  who 
had  fought  under  and  loved  their  commander,  wept  at 
the  injustice  that  took  him  away  from  them.  It  will, 
in  time,  be  made  clear,  my  son,  that  the  government 
committed  a  great  crime  against  our  army  by  this  act. 

68 


SIEGE    OP    WASHINGTON. 


It  cannot  be  wisdom  to  remove  a  commander,  so  popu- 
lar with  his  army  as  George  B.  McClellan  was,  espe- 
cially when  that  army  was  on  the  eve  of  a  battle.  Such 
an  act  is  sure  to  excite  dissatisfaction,  and  dissatisfac- 
tion destroys  discipline.  Nor  should  such  a  com- 
mander be  removed  at  so  critical  a  time  unless  the 
government  were  prepared  to  fill  his  place  with  one 
of  equal,  if  not  superior  capacity.  A  general,  to  hope 
for  success,  must  have  the  confidence  and  respect  of 
his  troops.  To  remove  one  who  has,  and  fill  his  place 
with  one  who  has  not,  is  a  crime  than  which  none  can 
be  greater.  It  is  a  crime  against  the  brave  men  whose 
lives  are  at  the  risk  of  the  capacity  of  their  com- 
mander. Our  government  committed  this  crime  when 
it  gave  the  command  of  the  army  of  the  Potomac  to 
General  Burnside.  That  general  was  the  best  judge  of 
what  he  could  do,  and  freely  confessed  his  incapacity 
for  so  high  a  command.  But  the  government  was  not 
to  be  put  off  by  this  confession  of  weakness  on  the 
part  of  a  general,  preferring  to  reward  him  for  his 
honesty,  and  make  no  account  of  his  capacity.  1 
accept  this,  my  son,  as  the  only  reason  why  General 
Burnside  was  given  so  high  a  command.  As  for  his 
capacity  as  a  general,  he  gave  us  a  proof  of  that  when 
he  let  the  rebels  fall  back,  and  get  well  fortified  at 
Fredericksburg.  To  show,  however,  what  a  general 

69 


SIEGE    OF    WASHINGTON. 


could  do  by  attempting  impossibilities,  lie  sent  the 
brave  army  of  the  Potomac  to  be  slaughtered  by  an 
enemy  covered  with  stone  walls.  I  tell  you,  my  son, 
it  was  a  dark  day  for  the  nation  when  that  was 
done.  It  multiplied  our  misfortunes,  gave  a  deeper 
wound  to  our  grief  and  sorrow,  and  brought  disgrace 
on  our  arms. 


GENERAL   BUKNSIDE. 

I    will   pass   over   these   misfortunes     as   lightly,    my 

70 


SIEGE    OF    WASHINGTON. 


son,  as  possible,  hoping  only  that  they  will  serve  us 
as  a  warning  in  the  future.  Having  buried  Burnside 
deep  under  the  misfortunes  of  his  own  incapacity, 
the  question  again  came,  up,  where  shall  we  find  a 
general  to  do  up  these  rebels  for  us,  and  gain  us  a 
little  victory?  The  great  Grant  was  doing  wonders 
for  us  in  the  West.  He  was  bold,  earnest,  and  brave. 
And  this  was  the  secret  of  his  success.  But  in  the 
East  we  were  sorely  troubled  for  some  one  who  could 
do  something. 

General  Hooker  was  brave  and  bold.  But,  my  son, 
he  had  such  a  weakness  for  blowing  his  own  trumpet. 
Yes,  he  could  blow  it  as  loud  and  as  long  as  any  trum- 
peter you  ever  listened  to— Pope  excepted.  He  had 
declared  of  himself  that  he  was  just  the  man  to  lead 
our  army  to  victory,  and  give  the  enemy  a  sound 
thrashing.  It  was  true,  this  general  had  been  very 
insubordinate.  He  had  said  a  number  of  things, 
neither  wise  nor  polite,  of  his  superiors.  And  he  had 
set  an  example  to  his  soldiers  not  inclined  to  im- 
prove their  discipline.  As,  however,  he  had  declared 
himself  the  man  to  lead  our  army  to  victory,  and  the 
government  wanted  just  such  a  man,  it  took  the  general 
at  his  word,  and  gave  him  the  command. 

There  were  some  people,  my  son,  unkind  enough 
to  say,  and  say  boldly,  that  the  government  did  this 

71 


SIEGE    OP    WASHINGTON. 


strange  act  more  to  show  its  appreciation  of  insubor- 
dination than  out  of  respect  to  his  capacity  to  dis- 
charge successfully  the  duties  of  his  high  position. 
When,  however,  the  general,  had  talked  himself  into 
the  very  best  opinion  of  himself,  he  went  to  work 
nursing  his  grand  army  into  good  order.  Yes,  my 
son,  the  old  army  of  the  Potomac  was  a  grand 
army,  and  General  Hooker  declared  it  was  the  finest 
on  the  face  of  the  globe.  And  he  nursed  it  into 
good  order  on  the  left  bank  of  the  Eappahannock, 
from  December,  1862,  to  early  April,  1863.  The 
general  could  get  up  of  a  morning,  and  enjoy  a  look 
at  his  old  friend  Lee,  quietly  domiciled  on  the  oppo- 
site bank.  And  General  Lee  could  get  up  of  a 
morning,  and  do  the  same.  Both  generals  regarded 
this  as  a  very  harmless  and  pleasant  way  of  spending 
the  winter,  while  carrying  on  the  war.  They  would, 
at  times,  it  is  true,  exchange  compliments  of  a  bel- 
ligerent nature.  But  this  was  only  to  give  a  lively 
turn  to  the  state  of  affairs  around  Fredericksburg. 
They  were,  I  can  assure  you,  my  son,  not  intended 
to  harm  any  one. 

72 


SIEGE   OF   WASHINGTON. 


CHAPTER  IX. 


CHANCELLORVILLE,    AND   THE     CURIOUS    FIGHT    WS     HAD 

THERE. 


I  AM  sure  my  friends 
will  all  be  anxious 
to  see  a  portrait  of 
the  great  general  who 
fought  the  great  bat- 
tle of  Chancellorville. 
And  my  artist  has  been 
particularly  careful  to 
present  them  with  a 
good  one. 

Chancellorville  was 
a  strangely  fought  bat- 
tle, my  son ;  I  have 
various  good  reasons 
for  saying  this,  but, 
perhaps,  it  is  best  that 
as  little  as  possible 
be  said  concerning 
them. 


GKNEUAT.    HOOKKU. 


73 


8 1  E  G  E    OF    WASHINGTON. 


When  spring  came,  and  the  roads  were  dry,  and  the 
robins  had  begun  to  sing  in  the  trees,  and  the  buds 
to  put  forth,  General  Hooker  began  to  feel  strong,  and 
full  of  battle.  He  said  to  his  officers  that  they  must 
get  their  courage  up,  and  be  ready  for  a  big  fight, 
every  one  in  his  own  way.  And  to  liis  men  he  said, 
that  they  must  have  plenty  of  powder  in  their  pouches, 
and  not  be  afraid  to  use  it.  A  general  to  be  success- 
ful, my  son,  must  have  confidence  in  himself.  General 
Hooker  had  confidence  in  himself,  and  felt  that  he 
could  whip  the  rebels  out  of  their  boots  any  fine 
morning.  Hence  it  was,  that  feeling  in  a  fighting 
humor  one  morning  in  early  April,  he  picked  up  his 
army,  and,  crossing  the  stream,  went  in  pursuit  of  the 
enemy.  He  found  the  enemy  posted  in  the  woods 
near  Chancellorville,  where  he  engaged  him  in  a  fierce 
and  desperate  battle.  But  the  general's  plan,  if  he  had 
any,  soon  got  out  of  his  head,  and  it  became  apparent 
that  he  was  fighting  the  battle  in  so  strange  a  manner 
that  no  one  could  understand  it.  In  truth,  the  general 
sat  aside  the  established  rules  of  war  early  in  the 
battle,  and  went  back  to  first  principles.  These  give 
every  man  the  right  to  fight  in  his  own  way,  and  is 
beautifully  illustrated  in  an  army  fighting  without 
orders.  I  am  told,  my  son,  on  very  good  authority,  that 
these  "first  principles,"  as  applied  to  fighting  battles, 

74 


SIEGE    OF    WASHINGTON. 


never  were  better  developed  than  at  Chancellor-villa 
I  am  afraid,  my  son,  we  shall  never  get  a  complete 
and  accurate  history  of  that  extraordinary  battle,  for 
the  reason  that  no  historian  will  be  found  capable  of 
describing  it.  It  is  certain  that  the  battle  had  not 
raged  long  when  our  army  was  in  a  state  of  uncer- 
tainty and  confusion.  Sometimes  the  fight  was  be- 
tween different  brigades  or  divisions  of  our  own  troops, 
who  were  as  often  brought  face  to  face.  The  enemy 
liked  this,  for  it  helped  him  to  fight  the  battle  without 
reinforcements,  and  saved  him  a  deal  of  trouble  and 
loss.  When  we  had  got  a  great  many  men  killed  in 
this  way,  and  a  great  many  more  severely  hurt,  the 
great  question  arose  as  to  who  had  won  the  battle,  and 
who  got  whipped.  There  can  be  little  doubt  as  to 
the  impression  made  on  General  Lee's  mind  on  this 
point  General  Hooker  was  sure  he  had  gained  a 
great  victory,  and  yet  he  was  not  so  sure.  I  say  he 
was  not  so  sure,  since  he  found  it  necessary,  before 
settling  the  question,  to  withdraw  his  army  to  his  old 
quarters  on  the  other  side  of  the  river.  It  is  clear 
that  the  general's  reflections  would  be  less  disturbed  in 
his  old  quarters,  and,  with  a  river  separating  him  from 
the  enemy,  he  could  form  a  more  correct  judgment  as 
to  whether  he  had  beaten  the  enemy,  or  the  enemy 
had  beaten  him.  Feeling,  however,  that  it  would  not  do 

75 


SIEGE    OF    WASHINGTON. 


to  let  it  get  out  that  the  enemy  had  beaten  him,  he 
resolved  that  it  must  be  true  that  he  had  beaten  the 
enemy.  This  was  about  the  most  accommodating  set- 
tlement he  could  arrive  at.  But,  accepting  this  in  good 
faith,  I  never  could  see  the  necessity  for  our  haste  to 
get  back  to  our  old  quarters  on  the  hills,  notwith- 
standing the  general's  friends  said  it  looked  like  rain, 
and  he  was  anxious  to  get  his  army  over  before  the 
shower  came  on.  I  have  noticed,  also,  that  the  rebel 
army,  when  beaten,  generally  fell  back  in  the  direction 
of  Richmond.  In  this  instance,  however,  he  held  his 
positions,  beat  his  drums,  blew  his  horns,  fluttered  his 
flags,  and  was  altogether  the  most  defiant  of  vanquished 
enemies.  I  noticed,  also,  that  this  vanquished  enemy 
packed  his  knapsacks,  put  his  ammunition  in  order,  and 
inarched  off,  not  backwards,  in  the  direction  of  Rich- 
mond, but  forward,  in  the  direction  of  the  North. 

Yes,  my  son,  the  enemy  marched  defiantly  into  Penn- 
sylvania, and  sent  the  peaceable  Dutchmen  in  that  remote 
part  of  the  country  into  a  state  of  great  alarm.  And  this 
I  accept  as  the  best  proof  that  the  rebels  were  not  beaten  at 
Chancellorville.  I  am  sure,  also,  that  General  Hooker  had 
sufficient  reason  to  share  this  opinion  with  me.  He  always 
had  the  rebels  just  where  he  wanted  them,  and  yet  I 
observed  that  he  failed  to  bring  them  to  a  stand  before 
they  got  on  the  free  soil  of  Pennsylvania.  Every  honest 

7G 


SIEGE   OF   WASHINGTON. 


Dutchman  in  the  State  was  convinced  in  his  own  mind 
that  General  Hooker,  if  he  had  been  the  general  he 
ought  to  be,  should  have  driven  the  enemy  into  some 
remote  corner  of  Virginia,  and  kept  him  there. 

The  military  atmosphere  was  still  full  of  confusion 
and  uncertainty.  And  things  seemed  getting  worse 
every  day.  Strange  as  it  may  seem,  the  government 
continued  making  extensive  efforts  to  further  the  object 
of  the  rebel  general.  Fortunately  for  the  nation,  our* 
wise  rulers  waked  up  one  morning  fully  convinced 
that  General  Lee  was  in  earnest,  that  he  was  already 
on  the  free  soil  of  a  northern  State,  with  a  favorable 
prospect  for  making  a  settlement  there.  The  govern- 
ment also  suddenly  discovered  that  General  Hooker, 
although  a  brave  soldier  and  all  that,  was  not  the 
man  to  command  a  great  army.  So  the  government 
relieved  him  and  sent  him  into  elegant  retirement,  a 
custom  very  common  at  that  time. 

Then  the  government  appointed  General  Meade  to 
the  command  of  the  grand  old  army  of  the  Potomac.  Of 
this  general  little  had  been  known.  Still,  the  nation  felt 
relieved  at  the  change.  Now,  General  Meade  was  a 
polished  gentleman,  a  brave  and  good  soldier,  who  had 
fought  on  the  Peninsula  under  McClellan  and  commanded 
the  Pennsylvania  Keserves.  To  place  a  new  general  in 
command  of  an  army  at  a  time  when  that  army  is  in 

77 


SIEGE    OF    WASHINGTON. 


face  of  the  enemy  and  expects  every  minute  to  engage 
him  in  battle,  is  one  of  the  most  dangerous  experiments 
a  government  can  indulge  in.  It  is  also  one  well  cal- 
culated to  test  to  their  utmost  the  qualities  of  the  gene- 
ral placed  so  suddenly  in  command. 

It  was  the  1st  of  July,  1863,  General  Meade  took 
command  of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac,  and  posted  it 
in  order  of  battle  on  the  hills  and  plains  around  Gettys- 
burg. There  the  two  armies  stood,  the  Union  and  the 
Rebel,  than  whom  there  was  none  braver,  awaiting  for 
the  signal  for  the  clash  of  arms.  Then  a  great  battle 
began  and  lasted  three  days.  And  there  was  desperate 
fighting  and  great  valor  displayed  on  both  sides,  and  the 
field  was  strewn  with  the  dead  and  wounded.  And  the 
battle  of  Gettysburg  was  a  great  battle,  and  the  Union 
army  of  patriots  gained  a  great  and  glorious  victory 
over  the  rebels.  Yes,  my  son,  and  what  was  more,  we 
celebrated  it  on  the  4th  of  July.  And  the  people  of 
the  North  were  glad  of  heart,  and  rejoiced  exceedingly, 
and  sang  praises  to  General  Meade,  for  he  had  fought 
the  battle  well  and  won  his  country's  gratitude. 

Still,  my  son,  we  hesitated,  and  failed  to  take  advan- 
tage of  our  success.  In  truth,  we  let  the  rebel  army 
re-cross  the  Potomac  at  its  leisure,  although  we  might 
have  given  it  serious  trouble  had  we  pressed  it  at  once. 
Indeed,  there  were  a  great  number  of  people  who  ex- 

78 


SIEGE   OF   WASHINGTON. 


pected  General  Meade  to  either  drive  the  rebel  army 
into  the  Potomac  or  capture  it.  But  military  men 
know  that  capturing  a  large  army,  though  it  may  have 
been  beaten  in  battle,  is  not  so  easy  a  matter.  And 
even  a  victorious  army,  after  fighting  so  great  a  battle, 

needs  rest  and  time  to  improve  its  shattered  condition. 
t>  79 


SIEGE    OF    WASHINGTON. 


CHAPTER  X. 


HANGING   IN   THE   BALANCE. 

HERE,  my  son,  is  an 
exact  portrait  of  the 
general  who  fought 
the  great  battle  of  Get- 
tysburg. When  he  had 
rested  his  army  a  suffi- 
cient time  he  began  mov- 
ing in  pursuit  of  the  en- 
emy. The  rebel  general 
fell  back  into  old  Vir- 
ginia, taking  his  time  as 
he  went  along,  and  be- 
ing in  no  temper  to  has- 
ten his  steps.  In  short, 
we  followed  him  back 
timidly  to  Orange  Court 
House,  where  he  made  a 
settlement  for  the  winter. 
There  was  a  good  deal 
of  small  fighting  done  during  the  autumn  and  win- 
so 


GENERAL    MEA1)E. 


SIEGE   OF   WASHINGTON. 


ter,  but  neither  side  seemed  to  gain  any  advantage. 
The  fate  of  war  hung  in  the  balance.  If  we  gained  an 
advantage  one  day,  the  enemy  would  do  something  to 
offset  it  on  the  next.  This  state  of  things  was  a  source 
of  great  grief  to  the  nation.  The  people  wanted  some- 
thing more  positive  for  the  great  amount  of  life  and 
treasure  they  were  wasting.  They  called  for  more  ear- 
nestness and  more  resolution  on  the  part  of  our  generals, 
and  a  better  system  of  carrying  on  the  war  on  the  part 
of  the  authorities  at  Washington.  So,  my  son,  the 
people's  impatience  was  at  length  heeded,  and  when  spring 
came  (I  mean  the  spring  of  1864),  and  the  people  were 
weary  of  the  war,  and  demanded  a  change  in  the  policy 
of  conducting  it,  so  that  an  end  be  put  to  it  as  speedily 
as  possible,  the  government  began  to  wake  up  to  its 
duty.  We  had  fought  battles  for  two  years  and  hung 
the  nation  in  mourning,  and  still  Washington  was  as 
often  in  danger  as  Richmond.  Indeed,  the  fortune  of  war 
seemed  in  favor  of  Richmond.  Then  the  government 
began  to  see  that  if  we  would  gain  victories  our  armies 
must  be  commanded  by  soldiers,  not  politicians. 

Yes,  my  son,  the  people  were  excited  to  joy  when  the 
government  changed  its  military  policy,  and  the  great 
General  Grant  was  brought  to  Washington  and  placed  in 
command  of  all  our  armies.  The  sun  of  our  hopes 
brightened  then,  for  the  people  had  confidence  in  that 

81 


SIEGE   OF   WASHINGTON. 


general.  He  had.  whipped  the  rebels  so  well  for  us  in 
the  West,  and  he  had  gained  for  us  so  many  glorious 
victories. 

And  now,  my  son,  we  come  to  this  remarkable  siege 
of  Washington.  I  say  remarkable,  for  it  is  destined  to 
stand  on  the  pages  of  military  history  without  anything 
to  compare  with  it.  Not  that  it  was  as  bloody,  or  that  the 
city  was  as  obstinately  attacked  and  defended  as  heroi- 
cally, as  some  other  cities  that  have  been  besieged,  in 
ancient  as  well  as  modern  times.  But  you  must  know 
that  sieges,  like  battles,  derive  their  great  importance  and 
all  that  makes  them  remembered  hereafter,  not  so  much 
from  the  amount  of  blood  that  has  been  shed  during 
them,  not  so  much  from  the  impetuosity  of  the  attacks 
made  or  the  heroic  defences,  as  from  the  manner  in  which 
they  affect  the  fate  of  nations.  Some  sieges  are  remark- 
able for  one  thing,  some  another.  The  siege  of  Wash- 
ington was  more  remarkable  for  the  manner  in  which 
the  city  was  defended  than  the  manner  in  which  it  was 
attacked.  No  fields  were  fertilized  with  carnage,  nor 
banners  bathed  in  blood. 

You,  remember,  my  son,  the  tale  of  storied  Troy,  with 
all  its  "  pomp  and  circumstance  of  glorious  war."  But, 
my  son,  it  has  never  seemed  to  me  more  interesting  than 
the  passage  of  Thermopylae.  Nor  will  Agamemnon  live 
in  history  after  Leonidas  is  forgotten.  And  yet  these 

82 


SIEGE   OF   WASHING T ON. 


events  in  ancient  war  were  small  compared  with  the 
battles  our  Grant  fought.  His  deeds  will  brighten  as  you 
read  of  them  in  history,  and  become  greater  than  them 
all. 

And  now,  my  son,  let  us  hie  to  the  siege  of  Wash- 
ington. Washington  was  besieged  and  Washington  was 
saved  ;  and  the  history  of  its  salvation  must  not  perish. 
Borne,  you  know,  was  saved  by  the  cackling  of  a  goose. 
And  when  I  tell  you  that  Washington,  the  capital  city 
of  this  great  nation  was  saved  by  the  too  free  use  of  a 
barrel  of  whisky,  you  must  not  be  surprised.  When  its 
great  circle  of  fortifications,  now  bristling  with  cannon, 
and  filled  with  busy  soldiers,  shall  become  so  many 
grassy  mounds,  their  history  must  still  live  to  excite  the 
patriotism  of  those  who  come  after  us. 

Remember,  my  son,  that  had  Washington  fallen  the 
nation  had  perished.  To  this  remarkable  siege,  then, 
and  its  results,  let  all  the  succeeding  glories  of  this  great 
Republic  be  attributed. 

As  I  have  told  you  before,  my  son,  after  the  first 
battle  of  Manassas,  when  our  militia  did  such  good  run- 
ning, there  was  nothing  to  prevent  the  rebels  from  enter- 
ing and  capturing  it  but  the  few  hastily  constructed  forts, 
or  tetes  de pont,  on  the  Virginia  side.  N"or  could  these 
have  offered  any  resistance  worth  naming.  Our  demoral- 
ized troops,  however,  never  halted  until  they  got  safe 

83 


SIEGE   OF   WASHINGTON. 


inside  of  them.  And  but  for  these  forts,  weak  as  they 
were,  the  city  would  have  fallen.  When  General  Mc- 
Clellan  assumed  command,  he  saw  at  once  the  necessity 
of  properly  fortifying  the  city.  And  the  nation  ought 
never  to  forget  him  for  his  decision.  Experienced  en- 
gineers, with  large  gangs  of  laborers,  were  set  to  work 
throwing  up  these  huge  masses  of  earthwork.  To  this 
was  added  the  labor  of  a  large  number  of  the  troops  of 
the  Army  of  the  Potomac,  during  its  organization  in  the 
autumn  and  winter  of  1861  and  1862.  When,  therefore, 
the  army  moved  for  the  Peninsula  in  the  spring  of  1862, 
the  city  was  so  strongly  fortified  that  it  was  considered 
safe  by  General  McClellan  and  his  corps  commanders. 
That  is,  rny  son,  if  its  forts  were  properly  garrisoned,  and 
there  was  a  working  force  of  forty  thousand  men.  But 
nothing  was  safe  against  the  fears  of  a  timid  administration. 
But  forts,  my  son,  however  strong,  are  only  inert 
masses.  They  cannot  fight  themselves ;  and  to  give 
them  strength  arid  action  they  require  to  be  properly  and 
fully  garrisoned.  And  the  troops  in  them  require  to  be 
properly  instructed  in  all  their  duties.  Now,  my  son,  it 
was  a  question  with  the  government,  which  was  very 
timid  at  that  time,  whether  General  George  had  left,  in 
and  around  Washington,  a  force  sufficient  to  make  the 
city  perfectly  safe  when  he  started  on  his  memorable 
campaign.  It  is  the  opinion  of  nearly  all  our  best  mill- 

'  84 


SIEGE   OF   WASHINGTON. 


tary  men  that  he  did.  But  the  politicians  got  frightened, 
the  government  got  frightened,  and  the  political  gene- 
rals got  frightened.  And  all  the  frightened  people  got 
their  heads  together ;  and  they  made  the  President  and 
Secretary  of  War  believe  just  as  they  believed — that 
Washington  had  been  "  unarmed,"  and  that  Washington 
was  in  danger.  Yes,  my  son,  our  good-hearted 
President,  who  was  no  coward,  was  sorely  troubled 
about  the  safety  of  Washington.  And  his  Secretary 
of  War  was  also  much  troubled,  as  was  common  with 
him  on  the  appearance  of  danger.  And  the  "  Chief 
of  Staff"  was  also  in  trouble,  and  went  to  issuing 
orders,  of  a  memorable  kind,  few  of  which  were  under- 
stood, much  less  obeyed.  The  result  of  all  this  was 
that  there  was  great  conflict  of  action.  I  have  no 
better  name  to  call  it  by,  my  son.  Hence  it  was,  my 
son,  that  our  good  President  halted  McDowell,  and 
McDowell's  corps.  And  both  looked  on  from  a  dis- 
tance while  General  George  was  fighting  desperate 
battles  with  the  enemy.  This  was  the  way  the  War 
Department  carried  on  the  war  at  that  time.  Now, 
my  son,  it  is  my  purpose  to  so  instruct  you  that  you 
will  know  the  whole  truth  concerning  the  way  the  war 
was  carried  on. 

The    detention  of  General    McDowell   and   his  corps, 
while  it  illustrated   the  great  anxiety  of  the    President 

85 


SIEGE    OF    WASHINGTON. 


and  Secretary  of  War  for  the  safety  of  Washington, 
caused  the  failure  of  the  campaign  on  the  Peninsula. 
All  the  sophistry  in  the  world,  my  son,  cannot  change 
that  decision. 

General  George,  with  his  army,  was  driven  to  the 
James  Eiver,  and  as  the  enemy,  then  at  Richmond, 
was  between  him  and  General  Pope,  and  might  strike 
either  at  his  pleasure,  the  government'?  fears  about 
Washington  so  increased  that  General  George  was 
finally  recalled  from  the  James,  to  save  the  capital. 
The  result  was,  as  I  have  told  you  before,  that  General 
Pope  was  driven  back  with  the  wreck  of  his  army  to 
the  very  gates  of  the  capital,  and  General  George 
arrived  barely  in  time  to  save  it.  Yes,  my  son,  Gen- 
eral George,  not  only  so  saved  the  capital,  but  extri- 
cated the  government  and  the  Chief  of  Staff  out  of  the 
difficulties  they  had  brought  on  themselves. 

When,  then,  the  victorious  rebel  army  turned  aside  from 
the  fortifications  of  Washington,  and  marched  triumph- 
antly into  Maryland,  strong  garrisons  were  left  in  the 
forts,  and  more  troops  were  poured  into  the  city  to  insure 
its  safety.  It  was,  indeed,  resolved  by  the  government, 
which  began  now  to  profit  by  experience,  and  by  the 
fact  that  the  capital  of  the  nation  had  twice  been 
placed  in  extreme  peril,  that  for  the  future,  come  what 
might,  it  should  at  least  be  made  secure.  Experienced 

86 


SIEGE    OF    WASHINGTON. 


officers  of  rank  were  placed  in  command  of  the  de- 
fenses, north  as  well  as  south  of  the  Potomac.  The 
troops  were  drilled  constantly,  and  soon  became  good 
artillerists.  They  were  also  instructed  in  and  soon 
became  efficient  in  the  art  of  defending  forts.  They 
studied  well,  and  became  familiar  with  the  ground  in 
their  front;  and,  what  was  more  than  all,  they  knew 
their  guns,  and  how  to  fight  them.  I  have  been  very 
particular  concerning  these  things,  my  son,  because  I 
desire  to  impress  you  with  their  future  importance. 

But  alas  for  the  instability  of  human  resolutions ! 
Washington  was  to  be  exposed,  after  all. 

You  will  remember,  my  son,  how  everybody  was 
seized  with  admiration  at  the  ease  with  which  the 
great  General  Grant  picked  up  the  Army  of  the  Poto- 
mac, and  moved  off  with  it  against  the  rebels.  That 
was  in'  the  month  of  May,  1864.  It  was  then  that  the 
army  moved  against  Richmond  for  the  last  time  :  that 
is,  not  to  return  to  us  until  it  had  captured  that  rebel 
stronghold. 

Grant  had  not  gone  far  when  he  met  a  more  stub- 
born resistance  than  he  had  expected,  fought  a  num- 
ber of  desperate  and  bloody  battles,  and  lost  a  great 
many  men.  Fight  and  move  forward,  was  his  motto, 
so  he  resolved  not  to  turn  his  face  towards  Wash- 
ington and  his  back  towards  Richmond,  as  others  had 

87 


SIEGE    OF    WASHINGTON. 


done  before  him.  The  terrible  waste  of  human  life 
that  followed  his  battles,  found  him  in  want  of  re- 
cruits. No  reserves  of  any  consequence  had  been 
organized,  and  the  government  were  sorely  troubled  to 
find  men  to  fill  the  thinned  ranks  of  our  heroic  army. 
Where  were  these  men  to  be  got  from  in  time  to  be 
of  service? 

Think  of  it,  my  son,  we  had  25,000  instructed  artil- 
lerists in  the  forts  around  Washington.  Here  was  a 
temptation  hard  to  be  resisted.  These  men  could  do 
good  service  in  the  field  as  infantry ;  and,  in  an  evil 
hour,  it  was  decided  to  send  them  to  Grant's  army  for 
that  purpose. 

Then  the  great  question  arose,  how  were  their  places 
to  be  supplied?  How  were  the  forts  to  be  defended, 
in  case  of  attack,  without  them?  It  would  not  do  to 
strip  the  defenses  of  all  troops,  and  leave  the  forts 
without  garrisons.  If  we  did,  the  enemy  would  surely 
find  it  out,  for  Washington  was  full  of  his  spies,  and 
we  should  come  to  grief.  The  President,  the  cabinet, 
and  all  the  generals,  had  resolved,  from  the  first,  that 
that  this  must  never  be  done,  under  any  contingency. 

But  what,  at  the  time,  was  considered  a  happy 
thought,  seized  on  the  government.  I  have  said  a 
happy  thought,  my  son,  but  it  was  a  very  unwise  one. 
Let  the  future  historian  record  it,  for  it  is  recorded  in 

88 


SIEGE    OF    WASHINGTON. 


tlie  dispatches,  as  well  as  in  the  acts  of  the  govern- 
ment. 

Yes,  my  son,  it  was  resolved,  first,  that  Richmond 
should  fall  in  an  hundred  days,  or  at  least  during  the 
summer;  second,  that  to  insure  the  fall  of  Richmond 
within  that  time,  the  experienced  troops,  then  in  the 
fortifications  of  Washington,  should  be  sent  to  the 
Army  of  the  Potomac ;  third,  that  to  replace  these  and 
other  garrisons,  a  call  should  be  made  on  some  of  the 
States  for  100,000  militiamen,  to  serve  for  one  hundred 
days.  To  the  end  of  developing  this  grand  idea,  all 
the  old  artillery  regiments  were  sent  away  to  Grant. 
And  their  places  were  filled  by  an  equal  number  of 
"hundred  days'  men/'  nice  and  fresh,  fresh  and  green, 
mostly  from  the  State  of  Ohio. 

I  have  no  doubt,  my  son,  that  it  will  seem  strange 
to  you,  as  it  will  to  all  intelligent  readers  hereafter, 
that  raw  troops  should  have  been  called  to  defend  the 
capital  in  the  fourth  year  of  a  great  war.  But  the 
War  Department  carried  on  the  war  according  to  this 
method  then.  The  result  is  not  just  now  very  pleasant 
to  contemplate ;  but  it  was  what  ordinary  foresight 
might  have  predicted.  Our  error  was  the  enemy's 
opportunity,  and  he  quickly  proceeded  to  take  advan- 
tage of  it.  Washington  was  in  danger,  and  Washing- 
ton might  have  been  captured  with  but  little  trouble 

89 


OF   WASHINGTON. 


had  the  enemy  sent  the  right  man  to  command  his 
troops.  How  near  it  came  being  lost,  and  how  acci- 
dentally it  was  saved,  I  shall  record  hereafter,  for  the 
benefit  of  the  future  historian, 

90 


SIEGE   OF    WASHINGTON. 


CHAPTER  XL 


ALARMING   SYMPTOMS   OF  THE   ENEMY'S   APPROACH. 


I  KNOW  you  will  be  anx- 
ious to  see  a  portrait  of 
the  distinguished  general 
who  was  first  assigned  to 
the  defense  of  Washing- 
ton during  the  siege.  And 
here  I  have  presented  you 
with  a  very  clever  one. 
This  general,  McDowell 
McCook,  chanced  to  be  in 
the  city,  when  the  govern- 
ment, becoming  alarmed, 
placed  him  in  command, 
and  sent  him  out  to  defend 
the  capital.  This  was  un- 
fortunate for  the  poor  gen- 
tleman, and  he  at  once 


GENERAL    M  I>OWELL   M  COOK. 


became  alarmed  at  finding  himself 


in 


such  a  position, 

and  so  near  the  War  Department.     The  poor  man  knew 
nothing  of  the  defenses,  much  less  of  the  roads. 


And  to 


SIEGE   OF   WASHINGTON. 


make  the  matter  worse  he  had  no  troops  to  command. 
What  was  a  general  to  do  under  such  circumstances? 
Although  this  distinguished  general  had  seen  some 
service,  and  served  his  country  well  in  the  West,  he  was 
in  no  way  qualified  to  fill  the  position  now  assigned  him. 
And  I  am  inclined  to  accept  this  as  a  reason  why  the 
government  selected  him. 

But  before  I  proceed  further,  my  son,  I  must  instruct 
you  as  to  what  happened  in  the  Shenandoah  Valley  just 
about  this  time,  and  which,  of  right,  should  constitute  a 
part  of  the  siege  of  Washington.  The  troops  in  the 
valley  had  been  commanded  by  no  less  than  four  unfor- 
tunate generals.  Patterson,  Banks,  Milroy,  and  Siegel, 
the  last  from  Germany.  Of  the  many  misfortunes  of 
these  generals,  the  historian  who  comes  after  me  will 
give  you  a  more  enlarged  account  than  I  have  time  or 
space  to  do  at  present.  Heaven  knows,  they  were 
manifold. 

When,  then,  Grant  moved  against  the  enemy  with  the 
Army  of  the  Potomac,  General  Franz  Siegel  was  put  at 
the  head  of  a  column  at  Winchester,  and  marched  up  the 
valley  with  a  great  flourish  of  trumpets.  This"  German 
general  was  in  high  feather  then,  and  declared  he 
would  drive  the  rebels  before  him,  like  so  many  chick- 
ens, and  never  stop  until  he  got  them  all  cooped  up 
in  Richmond.  But  the  rebels  were  not  inclined  to 

92 


SIEGE    OF    WASHINGTON. 


submit  to  this  cooping  process.  Indeed,  they  soon  dis- 
covered that  this  General  Franz  Siegel  was  not  so 
much  of  a  general  after  all,  and  that  he  had  an  eccen- 
tric way  of  moving  his  troops.  So  when  he  had  driven 
them,  as  he  supposed,  to  Newmarket,  they  turned  upon 
him  in  a  very  angry  manner,  gave  him  battle,  defeated 
him,  and  forced  him  back  in  disorder.  This  was  un- 
fortunate for  Siegel,  and  more  unfortunate  for  his 
German  admirers,  who  declared  him  to  be  the  greatest 
general  of  modern  times.  But  he  had  fought  this  bat- 
tle so  badly  that  the  government  for  once  made  up  its 
mind  that  it  would  be  wisdom  not  to  let  him  try  his 
hand  at  another. 

Major-General  David  Hunter  was  fixed  upon  as  the 
right  man  to  reform  Siegel 's  disordered  army  and  cor- 
rect his  mistakes.  Hunter  had  patriotism  enough,  and 
no  man  doubted  his  courage.  He  was  earnest  in  the 
defense  of  right,  even  zealous  in  the  cause  of  his  country, 
and  quick  in  the  punishment  of  traitors,  with  whom  he 
was  not  in  very  high  favor.  The  general  took  com- 
mand of  this  disordered  army,  and  so  managed  as  to 
get  a  little  discipline  and  some  degree  of  order  into  it. 
Now,  it  has  always  seemed  to  me,  my  son,  that  you 
could  put  a  general  to  no  more  severe  trial  than  to 
place  him  at  the  head  of  an  army  demoralized  by  the 
inefficiency  of  his  predecessor  and  expect  him  to  fight 

93 


SIEGE    OF    WASHINGTON. 


battles  and  gain  victories.  And  yet  General  Hunter  did 
this,  and  to  the  satisfaction  of  the  country.  Had  he 
been  less  active  with  the  torch,  his  reward  in  history 
would  have  been  much  higher. 

Well,  my  son,  the  general  marched  with  his  army, 
and  reorganized  it  as  he  marched.  And  he  met  the 
enemy,  and  he  fought  him,  and  fought  him  well,  and 
whipped  him  well,  and  drove  him  back  up  the  valley. 
to  the  very  gates  of  Lynch  burg.  But  there,  my  son, 
he  stopped.  His  supplies  had  given  out,  and  the  enemy 
had  detached  a  large  force,  and  sent  it  to  reinforce  the 
rebel  army  at  Lynchburg.  Our  great  Chief  of  Staff  at 
Washington  had  promised  that  this  should  not  be  done, 
without  timely  notice  being  sent  to  Hunter.  But  it  was 
done,  and  done  without  any  notice  being  sent  by  the 
Chief  of  Staff,  whose  spies  were  found  wanting  when 
most  needed.  General  Sheridan,  too,  was  detached  from 
the  Army  of  the  Potomac  with  two  brigades  of  cavalry, 
and  sent  to  form  a  junction  with  and  succor  Hunter. 
But  the  Chief  of  Staff  failed  to  send  Hunter  any  informa 
tion  concerning  this  movement,  and  hence  Hunter  wa? 
kept  in  ignorance  of  its  design.  Sheridan  was  driven 
back  before  superior  numbers,  and  failed  to  carry  out 
the  plan  of  his  instructions.  Had  Hunter  received  in 
formation  of  this  movement,  he  would  not  only  have 
saved  Sheridan  from  defeat,  but,  having  formed  a  junc- 

94 


SIEGE    OF    WASHINGTON. 


tion  with  him  near  Charlottesville,  could  have  beaten 
the  enemy  and  gone  where  he  pleased.  So  much  for 
what  the  Chief  'of  Staff  ought  to  have  done  but  did 
not  do. 

Of  course  the  gates  of  Lynchburg  were  swung  wide 
open,  and  there  was  nothing  for  the  famous  Early, 
who  commanded  the  rebel  hosts,  to  do,  but  to  come 
out  and  brush  Hunter  away  from  before  them.  And 
he  did  this,  and  more  than  this.  He  cut  Hunter's  com- 
munications, and  sent  him  flying  over  a  different  road, 
to  the  Ohio  River,  in  search  of  supplies. 

And  it  was  now,  my  son,  that  the  veritable  Jubal, 
known  to  his  old  classmates  at  West  Point  as  the  late 
Mr.  Early,  saw  the  road  open,  and  the  great  prize 
before  him.  Scorning,  as  it  were,  to  pursue  Hunter, 
he  marched  directly  for  Washington  by  the  most 
direct  road. 

It  was  early  in  July,  then,  when  General  Early,  at 
the  head  of  his  rebel  hosts,  reached  and  crossed  the 
Potomac.  And  this  movement  sent  the  people  of 
Washington  into  a  state  of  great  alarm.  The  southern 
sympathizers  at  the  capital  were  in  high  feather  at  the 
prospect  of  Washington  being  captured  by  their  friends, 
the  rebels.  Magnificent  stories  were  set  afloat,  the 
government  got  into  a  state  of  great  confusion,  and 
timid  people  went  about  shaking  their  heads,  and  won- 

7  95 


SIEGE    OF    WASHINGTON. 


dering  what  the  War  Department  was  doing.  Every- 
body wanted  to  do  something,  and  yet  nobody  knew 
what  to  do.  The  Chief  of  Staff  sat  in  his  easy  chair, 
and  issued  orders  by  the  dozen.  The  Secretary  of  Wai- 
ran  about  excited,  and  issued  orders  that  conflicted 
with  everybody  else's  orders.  The  President,  not  to  be 
behind  either  of  them,  issued  orders  that  agreed  with 
none  of  them.  The  great  wonder  is,  that  some  one  of 
these  high  officials,  so  much  given  to  issuing  war  or- 
ders, did  not  issue  a  proclamation,  warning  Mr.  Early 
that  it  would  not  be  comfortable  for  him  to  bring  his 
rebels  this  way. 

I  am  not  prepared  to  say  what  effect  such  a  notice 
would  have  had  on  Mr.  Early,  who  turned  his  column 
in  this  direction,  and,  inarching  with  great  rapidity, 
was  in  a  few  days  on  the  banks  of  the  Monocacy. 
And,  as  if  to  increase  our  alarm,  he  sent  that  festive 
young  trooper,  Harry  Gilmore,  galloping  down  into 
Maryland,  where  his  old  friends  received  him  with  open 
arms,  and  entertained  him  sumptuously.  Never  was 
hero  so  entertained  by  his  friends.  And  when  this 
bold  trooper  had  enjoyed  the  trip,  and  shared  the  hos- 
pitality of  his  friends  as  much  as  pleased  him,  he 
went  to  work  disturbing  our  military  arrangements. 
Yes,  my  son,  he  captured  one  of  our  railroad  trains  on 
its  way  to  New  York,  and  all  the  passengers  in  it. 

96 


S i E G P:    OF    WASHINGTON. 


And,  what  was  worse  than  all,  there  was  one  of  our 
most  distinguished  major-generals  in  it,  and  he  was 
made  a  prisoner  of  war  by  this  bold  trooper.  Thus 
he  cut  our  communication  with  the  North.  He  did 
all  this,  and  walked  away  leisurely  and  unmolested. 
Although  his  Maryland  friends  set  him  up  for  a  great 
hero,  I  confess,  as  there  was  no  one  to  oppose  him, 
not  to  see  in  what  his  heroism  consisted. 

As  you  may  naturally  suppose,  my  son,  these  little 
affairs  increased  our  alarm  greatly.  Our  authorities, 
generally,  went  into  a  state  of  perspiration;  and  would 
have  sent  for  General  Grant  and  his  army  to  come 
back  and  protect  us,  but  for  the  fear  that  that  general 
would  not  read  the  order  correctly.  In  short,  they  had 
already  become  convinced  that  Grant  was  not  the  man 
to  turn  back  when  there  was  anything  to  be  made  by 
going  ahead.  Then  our  high  officials  called  on  the 
North  for  help,  but  called  in  vain.  The  North  was  not 
inclined  to  share  the  fears  of  our  high  officials,  and 
had  been  too  often  sent  for  to  come  and  take  care  of 
Washington. 

It  was  common  with  us,  then,  to  keep  a  lot  of  third- 
rate  troops  scattered  around  Baltimore,  and  over  Mary- 
land. These  were  hastily  .  got  together,  and  placed 
under  the  command  of  that  famous  warrior  Lew  Wal- 
lace. '  The  administration  was  sure,  now,  that  Mr. 

97 


SIEGE    OFWASHINGTON. 


Early  would  get  whipped,  and  that  the  capital  would 
be  saved.  There  were,  however,  a  few  unbelieving 
people  who  shook  their  heads,  and  were  heard  to  say 
that  General  Wallace  was  not  the  soldier  to  drive  Mr. 
Early  and  his  men  into  the  Potomac. 

I  must  do  the  general  the  credit,  however,  to  say, 
that  he  marched  out  boldly  enough,  and  engaged  Early 
and  his  men  in  battle  as  soon  as  he  met  him.  And 
although  he  had  pluck  enough,  he  was  no  match  for 
the  rebel,  who  brushed  him  away  before  him,  and  sent 
his  scattered  columns  flying  back  into  Baltimore,  in 
great  distress.  Perhaps  the  only  sensible  man  surprised 
at  this  state  of  things  was  General  Wallace  himself. 

When  those  who  come  after  us,  my  son,  shall'  read 
of  this,  it  will  seem  very  strange  that  the  fate  of 
Washington,  the  capital  of  this  great  and  powerful 
nation,  should  have  depended  on  a  battle  between 
General  Lew  Wallace,  and  his  undisciplined  troops,  on 
the  one  side,  and  Jubal  Early  and  his  stonewall  troops 
on  the  other.  And  all  this  in  the  fourth  year  of  the 
war. 

Now  this  battle,  if  it  can  be  dignified  with  the 
name,  was  fought  on  Saturday,  the  9th  of  July.  Gen- 
eral Early  took  no  further  notice  of  General  Wallace, 
but  started  at  once  for  the  defenses  of  Washington. 
And  there  was  nothing  to  oppose  him  until  he  reached 

98 


SIEGE    OF    WASHINGTON. 


.them;  and  nothing  then  but  some  cannon,  and  some 
men  who  did  not  know  how  to  fire  them. 

When  it  got  rumored  round  that  the  late  General 
Early  was  not  only  aiming  to  besiege  Washington,  but 
was  not  far  away  from  the  defenses,  there  was  con- 
siderable of  a  stir  made  in  official  circles.  Timid 
people  tried  to  keep  their  courage  up  in  various  ways. 
Heroes,  who  had  never  been  out  of  Washington,  now 
talked  like  very  heroes ;  and  it  was  intimated  that  the 
Treasury  Guard  would  come  out,  and  take  the  field. 
Those  who  had  no  taste  for  fighting,  and  they  were 
many,  found  it  very  uncomfortable,  because  there  was 
no  way  of  getting  out  of  the  city. 

During  the  war,  my  son,  I  frequently  noticed  that  when 
a  battle  was  going  on  at  the  front  there  was  sure  to  be  a 
large  number  of  heroes  in  uniform  doing  promenade 
duty  on  the  Avenue.  Their  number  seemed  to  have 
increased  prodigiously  just  at  this  time.  It  was  noticed 
also  that  they  walked  at  a  more  rapid  pace  than  usual, 
did  an  uncommon  amount  of  eating  and  drinking,  and 
had  a  large  number  of  friends  they  were  always  ready 
to  discuss  the  last  battle  with.  I  suppose  this  was  all 
for  the  purpose  of  showing  the  amount  of  courage  they 
had. 

They  were  ready  enough  to  go  to  the  front  to-day  if 
.somebody  would  only  show  them  the  way. 

99 


SIEGE    OF    WASHINGTON. 


It  was  now  the  morning  of  the  10th  of  July ;  and  a. 
bright  breezy  morning  it  was.  The  symptoms  of  the 
siege  now  took  a  positive  form  and  became  really  alarm- 
ing. These  symptoms  were  manifested  in  a  singular 
manner  at  two  prominent  points  of  the  defenses.  A 
dilapidated  and  very  much  distressed  mule,  his  ears 
erect  and  his  tail  askance,  galloped  down  the  road  into 
Tenallytown,  making  a  noise  so  hideous  that  the  quiet 
inhabitants  ran  out  in  a  state  of  great  alarm.  They  then 
went  to  packing  up  their  household  goods,  their  tubs, 
tables,  chairs,  and  crockery,  and  getting  them  ready  for 
removal  to  a  place  of  safety.  In  addition  to  this,  the 
unruly  animal  sent  terror  into  the  very  hearts  of  a  num- 
ber of  cavalrymen  who  were  out  picketing  the  distant 
hills.  These  gallant  troopers  put  spurs  to  their  horses 
and  never  stopped  until  they  got  safely  into  Georgetown, 
where  they  circulated  numerous  stories  concerning  Mr. 
Early  and  his  men,  who,  they  declared,  had  driven  them 
in. 

The  other  remarkable  manifestation  took  place  at 
Brightwood,  a  sleepy  little  town  composed  of  four  houses 
and  a  lamp-post,  and  situated  not  far  from  the  city,  on 
the  Fourteenth-street  road.  A  distressed  cow  came 
bellowing  into  this  town  just  at  daylight,  with  her 
head  and  tail  erect,  and  driving  the  pickets  before  her. 
The  antics  of  this  otherwise  kindly  animal  caused  a 

100 


SIEGE    OF    WASHINGTON. 


great  scattering  among  the  gallant  defenders  of  Fort 
Stevens.  Indeed,  I  have  good  authority  for  saying 
that  they  evacuated  that  stronghold  more  suddenly 
than  had  ever  been  done  before,  scampering  down  the 
Fourteenth-street  road  at  a  rapid  pace. 

In  short,  my  son,  they  mistook  this  wayward  animal 
for  Early 's  advance  guard,  and  came  to  the  very  wise 
conclusion  that  a  fort  was  not  a  pleasant  place  to  stay 
in  when  an  enemy  outside  was  throwing  shells  into  it. 

The  good  people  of  Brightwood  betook  themselves  to 
packing  up  their  traps,  and  pondering  over  the  question 
as  to  whether  they  had  been  disloyal  enough  during 
the  war  to  claim  Mr.  Early  as  a  friend  when  he  ar- 
rived. It  was  a  trying  time  with  the  good  people  of 
Brightwood. 

When,  however,  the  gallant  defenders  of  the  defenses 
found  that  it  was  only  a  cow  that  had  so  disturbed 
them,  they  went  boldly  back  to  their  guns,  and  were  as 
full  of  courage  as  could  be  for  the  rest  of  the  day. 

As  the  morning  wore  on,  the  evidences  of  trouble  out- 
side increased.  Scattering  contrabands,  some  with  bun- 
dles on  their  backs,  some  with  chairs,  buckets  and  wash- 
tubs  on  their  heads,  others  with  the  family  table  oil  their 
heads.  There  was  an  interesting  group  of  three — two 
male  and  one  female  member  of  the  African  family.  One 
of  the  former  had  brought  his  banjo,  the  other  his  fiddle. 

101 


SIEGE    OF    WASHINGTON. 


The  female  had  a  tub  well  down  on  her  head.  These 
poor  frightened  people  came  trotting  into  the  city  over 
the  Tenallytown  and  Bright  wood  roads>  seeking  a  place 
of  safety  inside  of  the  forts. 

Then  the  roads  became  blocked  with  all  manner  of 
lickety  vehicles,  many  of  them  of  the  most  primitive 
description,  rilled  with  the  families  and  furniture  of 
peaceable  farmers,  who  had  left  their  homes  in  fear  of  the 
approaching  rebels.  A  more  grotesque  picture  than  was 
presented  by  this  anxious  train  it  is  impossible  to 
conceive. 

102 


SIEGE    OF    WASHINGTON, 


CHAPTER  Xfl. 

THE     GOVERNMENT     GETS     AGITATED,-    AND     THE     GREAT 
COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF   TAKES   THE   FIELD. 

THIS,  my  son,  is  a 
portrait  of  General  Au- 
ger, a  dashing,  handsome 
officer,  and  a  courteous 
gentleman.  He  com- 
manded the  department 
of  Washington  during 
the  memorable  siege  I 
am  describing. 

As  I  have  said  before, 
my  son,  as  soon  as  it 
was  known  that  General 
Wallace  had  been  driven 
back  on  Baltimore  in 
v  search  of  rations,  and 
General  Early  was  close 
upon  Washington,  the 
government  waked  up 
to  the  fact  that  the 
was  in  danger,  and  began  to  take  measures  for 

103 


GENERAL    AUGElt. 


capital 


SIEGE    OF    WASHINGTON. 


its  defense.  Our  good  President,  believing,  in  the  hon- 
esty of  his  heart,  that  his  presence  at  the  front  would  do 
good,  took  the  field.  And  the  Secretary  of  War  and  the 
Chief  of  Staff  went  to  issuing  orders  that  no  one  seemed 
to  obey.  Indeed,  their  orders  only  increased  the  confusion 
that  had  already  taken  possession  of  everything  military. 
The  regular  officers  in  command  of  the  troops  in  the 
fortifications,  and  who  knew  the  location  and  details  of 
the  forts  as  well  as  the  roads  leading  to  them,  were 
superseded  by  strangers,  ignorant  of  all  these  things,  arid 
even  of  what  their  commands  consisted. 

Why  this  was,  my  son,  I  cannot  explain.  Perhaps  the 
Secretary  of  War  will,  when  he  gets  his  historian,  at 
$2,500  a  year,  to  write  a  national  history  of  the  war. 
Some  malicious  people  said  the  Secretary  of  War  had 
two  reasons  for  this :  the  first,  to  show  his  contempt 
for  military  science ;  the  second,  because  he  wanted  to 
show  what  fools  some  of  these  strange  generals  were.  I 
have  also  heard  it  intimated  that  the  reason  why  some 
of  these  strange  generals  were  assigned  to  such  import- 
ant posts  at  such  a  moment  of  peril  to  the  nation,  was 
because  they  were  of  sufficient  consequence  to  be  made 
victims.  And  as  it  Was  always  necessary  to  have  a  vic- 
tim to  cover  up  and  excuse  the  blundering  of  high 
officials,  these  men  would  come  in  handv  enough.  But 

•'  C 

I  never  considered  this  a  good  excuse  for   thus   super- 

104 


SIEGE    OF    WASHINGTON. 


seding  the  officers,  the  only  officers  who  really  knew 
how  to  defend  the  city. 

It  was  not  surprising,  however,  that,  with  such  an 
opportunity  for  gaining  distinction  as  the  defense  of 
the  capital  of  the  nation,  major  and  brigadier-generals 
should  spring  up  as  by  magic.  Their  number  was 
truly  marvelous.  Nor  was  it  strange  that  they  should 
all  want  to  be  heroes.  It  was  a  little  queer,  however, 
that  they  should  all  be  in  the  city  just  at  this  time, 
and  seemingly  without  employment.  Each,  on  applica- 
tion, was  assigned  to  an  important  command,  though  but 
few  of  them  knew  the  road  to  the  forts,  and  fewer  still 
what  they  were  going  to  command  when  they  got  there. 

The  alarm  and  confusion  continued  to  increase  as  Gene- 
ral Early  and  his  rebel  hosts  approached.  And  now 
the  great  question  arose  as  to  who  was  to  be  regarded 
as  responsible  for  the  safety  of  the  city  ?  "Was  it  the 
President,  the  Secretary  of  War,  or  the  great  Chief  of 
Staff?  people  inquired.  No,  it  could  be  neither  of 
these,  for  the  President,  though  frequently  seen  at  the 
front,  seemed  only  a  pleasant  observer,  and  gave  no 
orders  to  the  troops.  The  Secretary  of  War  and  Chief 
of  Staff  were  issuing  orders,  as  I  have  before  described, 
and  assigning  strange  generals  to  commands.  It  could 
not  be  General  Auger,  for  the  War  Department  seemed 
to  have  forgotten  him,  and  he  remained  quietly  in  com- 

5*  105 


SIEGE    OF    WASHINGTON. 


mand  of  the  department.  The  Military  Governor  was 
discharging  the  active  duties  of  his  office,  and  so  it 
could  not  be  him.  Some  persons  said  General  Haskins 
was  the  man.  He  had  been  in  charge  of  the  defenses 
north  of  the  Potomac,  and  knew  them  well.  But  it  could 
not  be  him,  for  he  had  been  superseded  by  General 
Hardin ;  and  General  McDowell  McCook  ranked  both  of 
them;  and,  as  I  have  before  informed  you,  was  placed 
in  command  and  sent  out  to  see  to  General  Early. 

This,  my  son,  was  very  hard  on  General  McCook,  who 
found  himself  in  a  predicament  he  would  willingly  have 
escaped  from.  It  is  no  more  than  right,  my  son,  that  I 
should  give  you  an  account  of  how  this  general  went  to 
the  field,  and  what  he  found  when  he  got  there. 

Provided  with  a  pocket  full  of  orders,  the  general 
mounted  his  horse  late  on  Saturday  afternoon  and  set 
out  for  the  front,  over  the  Fourteenth-street  road.  The 
corpulent  engineer  I  have  described  in  the  early  part  of 
this  history  was  assigned  to  General  McCook  for  duty; 
and  this  officer,  and  two  sorry-looking  orderlies,  were  all 
that  bore  him  company.  The  corpulent  engineer  alone 
knew  the  military  roads,  and  the  location  of  the  forts, 
which  was  very  fortunate.  As  they  advanced  over 
the  road  beyond  Meridian  Hill,  they  overtook  several 
straggling  generals,  each  proceeding  to  the  front  with  a 
pocket  full  of  orders,  and  generally  accompanied  by  a 

106 


SIEGE    OF    WASHINGTON. 


single  orderly.  Two  or  three  of  these  generals  seemed 
quite  at  a  loss  as  to  where  they  were  going,  or  what 
they  were  to  command.  I  have  thus  explained  this 
matter  to  you,  my  son,  to  show  you  what  a  nice  way  our 
war  authorities  had  of  producing  confusion. 

When  the  general  and  his  staff,  which  I  have  described 
above,  were  well  nigh  Brightwood,  he  halted  to  inquire, 
of  the  alarmed  negroes  and  straggling  citizens  who  were 
wending  their  way  into  the  city,  what  news  they  had  of 
the  enemy  outside.  But  no  trustworthy  information 
could  he  get  from  any  of  them.  They  all  knew  that  Gene- 
ral Early  was  coming ;  and  that  they  had  left  just  before 
he  had  got  to  where  they  lived.  This  sort  of  information 
was  not  exactly  the  kind  a  general  would  consider  it 
safe  to  base  his  plan  of  operations  on.  Nor  was  the 
general  any  more  fortunate  in  getting  information  con- 
cerning the  enemy  from  a  number  of  squads  of  cavalry, 
whose  business  it  seemed  to  be  to  ride  excitedly  to  the 
front  and  then  ride  excitedly  back  again.  Indeed,  the 
whole  business  of  these  doughty  troopers,  it  seemed  to 
me,  was  to  increase  the  alarm  and  confusion. 

It  was  nearly  sundown,  the  weather  was  hot  and 
oppressive,  and  the  general  was  full  of  troubles.  The 
worst  of  these  was  that  he  could  not  find  the  troops 
he  was  sent  to  command.  Nor  could  he  get  any 
tidings  concerning  General  Early  and  his  rebels.  Hence 

107 


SIEGE    OF    WASHINGTON. 


it  was  that  he  concluded,  and  very  naturally,  that  the 
enemy  would  not  be  within  sight  of  the  defenses  until 
morning,  and  that  the  city  would  at  least  be  safe 
until  that  time  without  any  more  of  his  generalship. 

He  therefore  went  into  camp  for  the  night,  pitching 
his  headquarters  in  a  clump  of  wood  near  Bock  Creek, 
and  not  far  from  Crystal  Spring.  And  here  let  me 
record  that  the  general  had  not  even  a  camp  guard. 
To  make  the  matter  worse,  there  was  no  forage  for  the 
horses,  and  nothing  for  supper.  Never  was  general  so 
much  to  bo  pitied.  The  two  orderlies,  however,  were 
willing  fellows,  and  soon  had  a  fire  lighted.  They  then 
proceeded  to  a  neighboring  house,  and  got  refreshments 
for  the  general,  without  which  he  must  have  gone 
hungry  to  bed. 

As  the  night  advanced,  the  discomforts  of  the  situa- 
tion increased.  In  short,  it  may  as  well  be  confessed, 
the  general's  headquarters  were  besieged  long  before 
midnight,  and  that  sleep  was  a  thing  not  to  be  enjoyed. 
You  may  have  made  up  your  mind  that  the  besiegers 
were  an  advance  guard  of  the  rebels  ;  but  they  were 
not.  They  were  nothing  less  than  an  army  of  fierce 
musquitoes,  who  made  such  a  persistent  attack  on  the 
general  and  his  staff  as  to  make  his  position  almost  unten- 
able. In  truth,  they  so  harassed  the  corpulent  engineer, 
in  rear  and  flank,  that  he  mounted  his  horse  and  returned 

108 


SIEGE    OF    WASHINGTON. 


to  the  city,  where  he  spent  a  comfortable  night  at 
Willard's  Hotel,  and  went  back  in  the  morning  re- 
freshed. My  authority  for  this  is  the  distinguished 
engineer  himself. 

A  little  after  midnight,  the  two  orderlies  became  seri- 
ously alarmed  (I  ought  to  mention  that  one  was  re- 
cently from  Cork,  and  the  other  from  Kerry),  and 
reported  to  the  general  that  a  conversation  was  being 
carried  on  in  an  unknown  language  by  two  persons  in 
the  woods  beyond,  and  whom  they  verily  believed  to 
be  spies  of  the  enemy.  The  general  was  not  a  littl^ 
perplexed  at  this  intelligence,  for  the  better  informed 
orderly  declared,  that  while  one  shouted  in  very  bad 
Irish,  the  other  seemed 'to  answer  him  in  Dutch.  The 
general  listened  attentively  for  a  minute  or  more,  when 
the  noise  was  again  heard.  It  turned  out,  however, 
that  the  intruders  were  only  a  pair  of  owls,  who  had 
perched  in  some  trees  near  by,  and  were  exchanging 
hootings  for  their  own  entertainment. 

109 


SIEGE    OF    WASHINGTON. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 


THE  KIND  OF  REINFORCEMENTS  WE   HAD   TO    DEFEND    THE 

CITY. 

THIS  is  an  exact 
portrait  of  General 
Jubal  A.  Early,  who 
was  sent  to  capture 
Washington,  but  ar- 
rived a  little  too 
late. 

There  was  great 
excitement  in  the 
city  during  Sunday, 
the  10th  of  July, 
and  strange  stories 
were  set  afloat  con- 
cerning the  arrival 
of  General  Early, 
and  his  rebel  army. 
There  was  also  great 
excitement  in  and 
around  the  forts 


•-NKl'Al.    KAKLY. 


110 


SIEGE   OF    WASHINGTON. 


north  of  the  city.  The  hundred-day  men  did  not  feel 
themselves  safe  in  the  forts,  and  those  outside  were  mak- 
ing a  desperate  effort  to  keep  their  courage  up. 

We  had  heroes  enough  in  the  city,  but  the  great 
question  was,  how  we  were  to  get  them  organized,  pro- 
visioned, armed,  and  sent  to  the  front  in  time  to  be 
of  service.  The  District  militia,  which  we  have  all 
heard  so  much  of  and  seen  so  little,  wast  not  enrolled, 
and,  of  course,  could  not  be  made  available.  It  was 
said  there  would  be  some  desperate  fighting  done  if  the 
Treasury  Guard  only  got  to  the  front.  This  valuable 
body  of  distinguished  heroes  was  composed  of  nice 
young  men,  who  wore  fine  linen  and  patent  leather 
boots,  and  in  appearance  were  unexceptionable. 

It  was  a  trying  time  for  the  nation,  my  son,  and  the 
young  men  of  this  Treasury  Guard  felt  that  they  had  a 
duty  to  perform  in  defending  the  capital,  and  must 
perform  it  with  courage.  There  was  one  little  draw- 
back, however,  to  their  conduct  as  soldiers ;  and  that 
was,  that  each  man  wanted  to  go  to  the  front  encum- 
bered with  a  carpet  bag,  filled  with  sandwiches  and 
clean  shirts.  Aside  from  this,  let  me  say,  the  guard 
was  got  in  order  for  marching,  and  their  gallant  com- 
mander, Colonel  Floyd  A.  Willett,  made  a  speech,  in 
which  he  declared  there  was  not  a  chicken-hearted 
man  in  his  ranks.  And  when  it  marched  for  the  front, 
8  in 


SIEGE    OF    WASHINGTON. 


which  it  did  with  drums  beating,  its  gallant  colonel  at 
its  head,  and  Corporal  Spinner,  of  Company  B,  bringing 
up  the  rear,  there  was  many  a  tear  shed  and  handker- 
chief waved  by  the  pretty  female  clerks  of  the  Depart- 
ment. Many  of  these  damsels  had  more  than  a  friendly 
interest  in  these  young  heroes,  who  they  averred  would 
never  come  back,  but  whiten  the  battle-field  with  their 
bones. 

As  the  War  Department  has  not  yet  condescended 
to  give  us  a  report  in  detail  of  the  defense  of  Wash- 
ington, I  cannot  inform  you,  my  son.  of  the  heroic 
part  performed  by  this  distinguished  body  of  nice  young 
men.  There  was  a  rumor  that  they  returned  to  the 
city,  after  the  siege,  in  a  very  hungry  condition  ;  but 
had  been  so  saving  of  their  powder  and  lead  as  not  to 
waste  a  single  round. 

Now,  our  quartermaster-general  was  not  to  be  beaten 
by  any  of  them  when  there  was  a  chance  for  glory. 
Seeing  the  Treasury  Guard  march  off  with  so  much 
courage  and  determination,  the  general  mounted  his 
war  horse,  and  assembled  a  whole  brigade  of  his 
employees,  as  gallant  fellows  as  ever  took  the  field, 
notwithstanding  little  could  be  said  of  their  discipline 
or  soldierly  appearance.  This  gallant  brigade  was  called 
the  Bushwhackers,  in  contradistinction  to  the  Beef-eaters 
of  the  War  Department.  There  was  no  mistaking  this 

112 


S  i  K  G  E    OF    WASHINGTON. 


brigade,  for  it  was  armed  with  muskets  and  bill-hooks* 
As  it  moved  off  for  the  front,  as  it  did  with  no  very 
regular  step,  there  was  a  sight  seldom  seen.  How  else 
could  it  be,  with  our  gallant  quartermaster-general  at 
its  head,  and  General  Kucker  bringing  up  the  rear ! 
After  a  rapid  march  of  four  miles,  the  brigade  reached 
the  front ;  and  as  no  enemy  was  in  sight,  and  there 
was  no  use  for  their  powder,  the  men  went  energetic- 
ally to  work,  and  did  good  service  in  clearing  away 
the  bushes  in  front  of  the  forts,  so  that  our  gallant 
defenders  could  have  an  unobstructed  view  of  the 
rebels  as  soon  as  they  made  their  appearance.  This 
was  a  very  happy  thought ;  one  for  which  the  quar- 
termaster-general deserved  the  brevet  he  afterwards 
got. 

You  will  see  by  this,  my  son,  that  we  were  fast 
getting  our  gallant  defenders  to  the  front.  And  now 
all  that  was  needed  to  afford  them  an  opportunity  to 
show  themselves  heroes  was  General  Early  and  his 
army  of  rebels. 

I  must  also  inform  you  that  Provost-Marshal  Todd, 
Captain  and  A.  D.  C.,  had  got  a  company  of  his 
men  to  the  front,  lying  in  ambush  for  the  rebels. 

There  was  still  another,  and  equally  important  force 
to  be  added  to  our  defenders.  This  was  a  brigade  of 
what  was  called  Ancient  Mariners,  got  together  by  that 

113 


SIEGE    OF    WASHINGTON. 


solid  old  salt,  Admiral  Groldsborough.  The  admiral 
was  brim-full  of  pluck,  and  his  name  had  become 
famous  for  not  fighting  the  rebels  afloat.  Here  was  an 
opportunity  to  give  them  a  broadside  or  two  ashore, 
and  the  admiral  was  not  the  man  to  let  it  slip  through 
his  fingers.  Indeed,  he  sounded  his  war  trumpet  as 
quick  as  any  of  them,  and  when  he  had  piped  his 
Ancient  Mariners  to  arms,  he  told  them  that  God  and 
their  country  demanded  them  to  do  their  duty. 

"Aye,  aye!"  responded  the  Ancient  Mariners;  "we 
will  do  it,  we  will." 

When  the  gallant  admiral  had  got  his  "  Ancient  Mari- 
ners "  ready  to  march,  armed  with  cutlass  and  various 
other  well-known  weapons,  he  placed  himself  at  their 
head  and  moved  out  to  meet  the  enemy.  His  manner 
of  doing  this,  however,  was  somewhat  novel,  and  deserves 
to  be  described  here.  You  must  know,  my  son,  that 
the  admiral  was  of  a  very  rotund  figure,  and,  although 
well  enough  at  home  on  the  quarter-deck,  was  not  accus- 
tomed to  the  saddle.  His  weight  was,  indeed,  such  as 
to  preclude  the  idea  of  his  being  a  skilled  horseman. 
It  was,  therefore,  necessary  that  he  go  to  the  field  in 
some  more  comfortable  as  well  as  becoming  manner. 
Thereupon  a  carriage  and  four  was  provided,  and  in 
this  stately  manner  the  gallant  admiral  proceeded  to 
the  front,  at  the  head  of  his  strange  command.  I  may 

114 


SIEGE    OF    WASHINGTON. 


add  also,  my  son,  that  the  movement  of  this  force 
afforded  no  little  amusement  to  the  numerous  urchins 
that  followed  it.  On  reaching  the  front,  it  took  up  a 
strong  position,  and  made  ready  to  give  the  enemy  a 
broadside  whenever  he  made  his  appearance.  Some  mis- 
chievous person  reported  that  it  was  the  intention  of 
these  "  Ancient  Mariners "  to  support  the  cavalry,  in  the 
event  of  its  being  attacked.  Having  brought  them  to 
the  front,  however,  we  must  leave  them  there,  the 
quartermaster  with  his  spy -glass  keeping  a  sharp  look 
out  for  any  stray  craft  that  might  appear  in  the  offing. 

I  have  been  thus  minute  in  describing  these  forces, 
in  order  that  you  may  form  a  just  estimate  of  what 
General  McDowell  McCook  had  to  command. 

Sunday  passed  away,  and  there  was  no  appearance  of 
General  Early  and  his  army.  Still  the  excitement  in 
the  city  had  not  abated.  Our  good  President,  I  must 
tell  you,  was  out  along  the  lines  nearly  all  day,  with 
the  apparent  purpose  of  encouraging  the  feeble  gar- 
risons in  the  forts. 

Early  on  Monday  morning  (the  llth  of  July,  1864), 
the  smoke  and  dust  of  the  rebel  column  rose  in  the 
distance,  and  was  clearly  seen  from  the  defenses.  News 
of  this  soon  spread  about,  and  our  cavalry  got  more 
and  more  excited,  and  went  galloping  out  and  then 
came  galloping  in  at  an  increased  rate  of  speed. 

115 


SIEGE    OF    WASHINGTON. 


Then  the  enemy's  long,  thin  line  of  skirmishers 
debouched  into  the  fields,  like  specter  figures  in  a  pano- 
rama. Next  his  artillery  was  seen  moving  to  the  right 
and  left,  and  apparently  taking  up  positions  on  the 
distant  hills.  These  were  followed  by  his  hungry 
troopers,  very  dirty  and  forlorn,  and  looking  like  shad- 
owy figures  just  issuing  from  a  desert  of  dust.  The 
movements  of  these  rebels  in  the  distance  gave  new 
features  to  the  face  of  the  siege.  General  McDowell 
McCook  was  seen  to  ride  rapidly  over  the  field,  followed 
by  his  two  orderlies.  Generals  Meigs  and  Eucker  urged 
on  their  Bushwhackers,  who  went  to  work  with  renewed 
energy  clearing  up  the  forest.  The  "  Ancient  Mariners  " 
whetted  their  cutlasses,  and  continued  to  exhaust  their 
ordnance,  a  large  stock  of  which  they  had  brought  to 
the  field  in  the  shape  of  tobacco.  And  the  Treasury 
Guard  stopped  eating  sandwiches  and  looked  to  their 
ammunition.  In  fine,  our  gallant  defenders  went  to 
getting  their  courage  up  in  various  ways.  Our  good 
President  (may  his  memory  never  die!)  took  up  a  posi- 
tion near  Fort  Stevens,  as  if  to  encourage  the  hundred- 
day  men  to  stand  by  their  guns  and  keep  their  pluck 
warm. 

A  little  after  noon  there  was  a  material  change  in  the 
situation.  The  enemy's  advance  skirmishers  made  their 
appearance  within  range  of  Fort  Stevens  and  began  a 

11G 


SIEGE    OF    WASHINGTON. 


miscellaneous  firing.  Then  our  own  cannon  opened, 
and  their  echoes  over  the  hills  first  sounded  the  alarm 
and  awakened  the  people  of  the  city  from  their  dream 
of  security.  There  were  as  yet  no  really  efficient  troops 
to  send  to  defend  the  point  of  attack.  The  people  knev; 
that  between  them  and  the  enemy  there  were  strong 
and  heavily  armed  forts ;  and  in  these  they  placed  their 
trust  They  did  not,  however,  reflect  that  these  forts, 
without  proper  garrisons,  were  only  so  many  inert 
masses,  incapable  of  resisting  for  one  hour  the  vig- 
orous assault  of  an  enemy.  But  it  was  very  different 
with  the  military  authorities.  As  the  rattle  of  small 
arms  and  the  booming  of  cannon  increased  during  Mon- 
day evening  and  night,  they  knew  that  the  city  was  in 
peril,  and  their  anxiety  for  its  safety  increased.  They 
knew  that  the  forts  were  not  properly  garrisoned. 
They  knew  that  communication  with  the  North  was 
cut  off,  that  no  reinforcements  from  that  quarter  could 
be  relied  on.  Further,  that  although  reinforcements  from 
General  Grant's  army  had  been  ordered  up  from  the 
James  Eiver,  they  had  not  had  time  to  arrive. 

Such  was  our  situation  on  that  memorable  Monday 
night  Yes,  my  son,  such  was  the  feeble  condition  of 
the  defenses  when  General  Early  and  his  rebel  army 
came  in  sight  of  the  dome  of  the  Capitol.  We  all  looked 
confidently  for  an  attack  in  force  on  Tuesday  morning. 

117 


SIEGE    OF    WASHINGTON. 


Had  it  been  made  by  a  column  of  ten  thousand  men, 
led  by  a  bold  and  determined  commander,  capable  of 
infusing  his  own  impulse  into  their  movements,  they 
might,  feebly  garrisoned  as  the  forts  were  at  that 
moment  (with  no  support  between  or  behind  them), 
have  treated  our  defenses  with  contempt,  and  marched 
into  the  city. 

Yes,  my  son,  they  could  have  marched  almost  unmo- 
lested between  any  two  of  the  forts,  entered  the  city, 
seized  the  Arsenal,  the  Capitol,  the  Treasury,  and  other 
public  buildings,  and  enjoyed  a  bounteous  breakfast  at 
the  expense  of  our  citizens.  And  when  they  had  done 
this,  they  might  have  enforced  a  legitimate  surrender  of 
the  city,  together  with  the  defenses  on  both  sides  of 
the  river. 

But  General  Jubal  A.  Early  was  not  the  man  for 
such  an  enterprise.  Washington  was  at  his  mercy,  but 
fortunately  for  us  he  did  not  know  it,  and  let  the 
opportunity  slip.  Even  had  he  known  it,  I  am  of 
opinion  that  he  lacked  the  nerve  to  grasp  the  advan- 
tages of  the  opportunity.  On  that  Tuesday  morning, 
Early  was  at  Silver  Springs,  enjoying  the  luxuries  of  a 
spacious  headquarters,  and  within  sight  of  the  grand  old 
dome  of  the  Capitol.  What  strange  emotions  the  sight 
of  this  dome  must  have  excited  in  his  bosom,  what 
reminiscences  of  happier  days  passed  under  its  shadow 

us 


SIEGE    OF    WASHINGTON. 


must  have  seared  his  thoughts  as  they  passed  in  review, 
he  alone  can  describe.  Perhaps  it  was  the  contempla- 
tion of  those  happier  days  that  stayed  his  hand  and 
made  him  hesitate  to  grasp  the  prize  at  his  feet. 

No,  my  son,  Jubal  A.  Early  was  of  too  phlegmatic 
a  temperament  for  such  an  undertaking.  He  was  slow 
in  every  thing  but  name.  And,  as  I  have  informed  you 
before,  so  notoriously  cautious  and  slow  was  he  to  act, 
even  when  a  youth  at  West  Point,  that  he  gained  the 
sobriquet  of  "The  Late  Early,"  by  which  he  is  known 
at  this  day  by  his  intimate  friends. 

How  sad  it  is  for  us,  to-day,  to  contemplate  that  the 
safety  of  Washington,  the  capital  of  this  great  country, 
should  have  depended  on  the  temperament  of  a  general. 
Let  the  future  historian  do  this  subject  justice  and  elabor- 
ate it  as  it  deserves.  And  let  him  portray,  if  he  can,  the 
consequences  of  the  rebel  flag  greeting  the  rays  of  the 
rising  sun  on  that  morning  victoriously  from  the  dome 
of  the  Capitol. 

no 


SIEGE    OF    WASHINGTON. 


CI1APTEE  XIV. 


HOW    THE    REBEL    GENERALS    DEPORTED    THEMSELVES. 

THIS  history  would 
not  be  complete,  my  son, 
without  a  portrait  of 
General  John  C.  Breck- 
inridge.  This  general 
accompanied  General 
Early,  in  command  of  a 
division,  and  was  ex- 
tremely useful  as  a  sub- 
ordinate, since  he  knew 
Washington  and  all  its 
surroundings,  and  had 
many  friends  in  the  city, 
whose  respect  and  hos- 
pitality he  had  enjoyed. 
What  curious  emotions 
must  have  excited  his 
breast  when  he  saw  the 
dome  of  that  building 
where  he  had  sat  as  a 


GENERAL    BREOKIMKIDGE. 


SIEGE    OF    WASHINGTON. 


Senator,  and  by  his  talents  and  deportment  secured  the 
respect  and  confidence  of  the  nation,  I  will  leave  the 
reader  to  imagine.  Who  but  himself  can  describe  his 
thoughts  when  he  recurred  to  that  scene  in  the  Senate 
Chamber,  when  he  raised  the  voice  of  prophecy  and 
foreshadowed  the  traitor's  reward?  Was  there  a  pang 
in  the  thought  that  he  was  himself  reaping  the  bitterest 
fruit  of  that  reward  ? 

Never  forget,  my  son,  how  terrible  is  the  penalty  that 
attaches  to  treason..  But  now  I  must  ask  you  to  reac- 
company  me  to  another  part  of  the  field,  that  we  may 
see  what  is  going  on  there.  The  attack  made  on  our 
defenses  by  the  rebels  was  of  the  feeblest  kind.  Why 
this  was,  some  of  our  officers  could  not  understand.  It 
was  evidently  made  in  doubt  of  the  result,  and  indi- 
cated forcibly  enough  that  something  was  wrong  at 
the  rebel  headquarters.  We  want  now  to  see  what  that 
was. 

While  the  booming  of  cannon  and  the  rattle  of  small 
arms  was  going  on  in  the  vicinity  of  Fort  Stevens, 
without  any  very  serious  damage  to  either  side  (for  I 
may  mention  here  that  the  rebels  kept  at  a  respectful 
distance  from  the  forts),  Generals  Early,  Ewell,  and 
Breckinridge  were  enjoying  themselves  on  the  sumptu- 
ous fare  found  at  Silver  Springs  and  other  neighboring 
plantations.  In  short,  it  is  asserted  that  these  generals 

121 


SIEGE    OF    WASHINGTON. 


bad  been  short  of  rations  for  some  days,  and  were  very 
hungry  when  they  reached  the  outskirts  of  Washing- 
ton. It  is  also  asserted  that  they  took  themselves  to 
feasting  and  making  merry  with  their  friends;  so  much 
so  that  they  had  all  the  cellars  and  larders  of  the  houses 
round  about  examined  for  bounties  to  supply  their  table. 
And  to  such  an  extent  was  this  feasting  and  merry- 
making carried,  that  General  Early  quite  forgot  that  he 
was  sent  to  capture  Washington,  and  indeed  set  such  a  bad 
example  to  his  subordinates  as  to  destroy  all  discipline. 
There  were  two  great  events  in  this  remarkable  siege, 
my  son,  and  I  must  tell  you  what  they  were.  If  I  do 
not,  you  will  not  get  a  clear  idea  of  how  the  siege  was 
carried  on  by  the  rebels.  The  generals  (rebel)  had  not 
tasted  fresh  beef  for  several  days,  and  had  a  sharp 
appetite  which  their  commissaries  were  inclined  to  grat- 
ify. Now,  there  was  on  the  plantation  of  Mr.  George 
Riggs,  near  where  these  generals  had  their  headquarters, 
a  celebrated  Alderney  bull,  much  valued  by  its  owner. 
Here  was  a  temptation  not  to  be  resisted  by  these  com- 
missaries, who  had  the  animal  led  to  slaughter  and 
served  up  for  their  masters.  Yes,  my  son,  these  gene- 
rals and  their  staffs  banqueted  on  Mr.  Riggs's  bull,  and 
were  honest  enough  .to  confess  that  they  had  rarely 
fared  so  sumptuously.  This  is  one  of  the  great  events. 
Now  to  the  other.  A  number  of  general  officers  (choice 

122 


SIEGE    OF    WASHINGTON. 


spirits),  imitating  the  example  set  by  their  bold  supe- 
riors, went  out  on  a  forage  of  their  own,  and  coming  to 
the  house  of  the  Hon.  Montgomery  Blair,  put  it  under 
a  close  examination,  especially  the  cellar  and  larder, 
which  was  supposed  to  be  well  stored  with  the  choicest. 
They  were  disappointed,  however,  to  find  that  the  cellar 
contained  little  wine,  and  were  about  setting  the  honor- 
able owner  down  for  a  disciple  of  temperance,  when  they 
came  upon  a  barrel  of  rare  old  Bourbon  whisky. 

This  discovery  caused  great  rejoicing,  the  news  of  it 
spread  far  and  wide  among  the  officers,  and  not  an  order 
was  obeyed  for  the  rest  of  the  day.  So  you  will  see, 
my  son,  that  while  the  superior  generals  and  their  staffs 
were  banqueting  on  Mr.  Biggs's  bull,  the  field  officers 
were  besieging  their  brains  with  Mr.  Blair's  choice  whis- 
ky. The  city  was  perfectly  safe  while  this  state  of 
revelry  existed.  And  I  feel,  my  son,  that  you  will 
agree  with  me  that  Mr.  Blair  deserves  well  of  his  coun- 
try for  supplying  his  cellar  with  this  remarkable  weapon 
of  defense.  Let  the  future  historian  bear  in  mind  that 
the  War  Department  can  claim  no  credit  for  the  safety 
of  Washington.  The  credit  of  saving  Washington 
belongs  exclusively  to  Mr.  Riggs's  bull  and  Mr.  Mont- 
gomery Blair's  barrel  of  whisky.  They  furnished  the 
feast  that  stole  away  the  brains  of  General  Early's  offi- 
cers, and  caused  the  delay  that  saved  the  city. 

123 


SIEGE    OF    WASHINGTON. 


In  fine,  my  son,  I  have  good  military  authority  for 
saying  that  these  rebel  officers,  after  their  wisdom  had 
been  carried  away  by  the  whisky,  put  on  ladies'  dresses 
and  so  conducted  themselves  that  General  Early,  in 
order  to  get  them  out,  and  put  a  stop  to  the  riotous 
proceedings,  was  compelled  to  apply  the  torch  to  the 
house  of  Mr.  Blair.  Let  this  sad  result  be  a  warning  to 
all  generals,  sent  to  either  threaten  or  capture  the  capital 
of  a  nation. 

Have  I  not  satisfied  you,  my  son,  that  Mr.  Davis 
sent  the  wrong  man  to  take  Washington  ?  A  more  san- 
guine general,  knowing  that  he  had  been  sent  from 
Richmond  to  threaten  and,  if  possible,  capture  Washing- 
ton, and  having  come  so  far  and  routed  all  the  troops 
sent  to  oppose  him,  and  arrived  within  sight  of  the 
coveted  prize,  at  a  time  when  he  must  have  known  the 
weakness  of  the  defenses,  would  have  risked  an  attack 
in  force  and  would  have  succeeded.  I  say  he  would 
have  succeeded ;  for,  by  all  the  rules  of  war,  the  capital 
ought  to  have  fallen.  Let  it  be  remembered  also,  that 
during  that  memorable  Tuesday,  when  the  rattle  of  small 
arms  and  the  booming  of  cannon  from  Fort  Stevens 
were  calling  patriotic  citizens  to  the  front  to  do  their 
duty,  the  engineer-in-chief  and  other  of  the  high  officials 
of  the  War  Department  were  busy  packing  up  the  records 
of  their  offices,  preparatory  to  their  removal  to  the  gunboats. 

124 


SIEGE    OF    WASHINGTON. 


The  attack,  which  had  been  so  confidently  expected 
on  Tuesday  morning,  did  not  take  place.  General  Early 
and  his  officers  still  continued  their  riotous  proceedings 
near  Silver  Springs,  while  his  advance  line  kept  our 
gallant  defenders  in  a  state  of  intense  excitement  and 
activity.  As  hour  after  hour  wore  away,  however,  the 
anxiety  of  our  people  increased,  in  fear  of  what  might 
happen. 

Then  late  in  the  afternoon  news  came  that  the  brave 
old  Sixth  Corps — a  terror  to  rebels  everywhere — had  ar- 
rived. This  sent  a  thrill  of  joy  into  many  a  heart,  and 
shout  after  shout  went  up  along  the  line  as  its  cross 
came  in  sight  Yes,  the  old  Sixth  Corps,  with  General 
Wright,  had  come  once  more.  It  was  a  proud  sight  to 
see  these  men  deploy  into  line  of  battle,  in  front  of  Fort 
Stevens,  their  war-worn  colors  fluttering  in  the  breeze, 
with  that  cross  so  well  known  to  the  rebel  hosts. 

The  siege  was  raised.  The  rebels  recognized  that 
cross,  and,  knowing  what  it  betokened,  fell  back  rapidly 
before  it,  and  prepared  for  a  hasty  retreat.  Confidence 
was  restored  to  the  people.  The  President  thanked  the 
troops  and  went  home  in  the  very  best  humor.  The 
Secretary  of  War  and  the  Chief  of  Staff  stopped  issuing 
orders;  and  the  quartermaster's  bushwhackers  hung  up 
their  bill-hooks.  The  major  and  brigadier-generals  went 
to  congratulating  each  other  on  the  part  they  had  taken 

125 


SIEGE    OF    WASHINGTON. 


in  the  defense.  At  two  o'clock  on  Wednesday  morning, 
an  advance  was  ordered  with  the  two  divisions  of  the 
Sixth  Corps;  but  when  the  skirmish  line  took  posses- 
sion of  Silver  Springs,  there  was  not  a  rebel  in  arms  to 
be  seen.  General  Early  had  made  good  speed  during  the 
night,  and  was  making  the  best  of  his  way  across  the 
Potomac,  and  home  to  his  master. 

Thus  ended  the  most  remarkable  siege  history  has 
any  account  of. 

And  now,  my  son,  I  cannot  close  this  history  without 
a  few  words  on  the  character  and  conduct  of  Mr.  Jeffer- 
son Davis,  to  whose  ambition  this  siege  of  our  capital 
was  due.  It  has  been  said  by  several  of  his  friends,  who 
have  access  to  the  newspapers,  that  he  went  into  this  war 
not  only  very  reluctantly,  but  with  green  spectacles  on. 
Willing  as  I  am  to  deal  generously  with  him,  and  to  for- 
give him  each  and  every  one  of  his  sins,  and  to  send  him 
out  into  the  world  to  seek  atonement  for  them,  I  cannot 
share  this  opinion.  And  for  the  reason  that  I  happened 
to  know  Mr.  Davis  in  the  summer  of  1850,  when  he  was 
the  moving  spirit  of  a  convention  of  "Fire-Eaters,"  that 
assembled  together  at  Nashville,  Tenn.  And  I  have  a 
slight  recollection  of  a  speech  he  made  on  that  occasion, 
in  which  separation  by  arms  was  urged,  and  no  love  for 
the  Union  advanced.  I  remember  also  that  that  speech 
was  rewarded  with  hisses,  notwithstanding  the  strong  dis- 

126 


SIEGE    OF    WASHINGTON. 


union  element  of  the  convention.  His  dislike  of  the 
Union  and  plan  for  separating  the  nation,  it  is  well 
known,  had  been  the  besetting  sin  of  his  brain  for 
twenty  years.  How,  then,  he  could  have  engaged  in  this 
gigantic  rebellion  with  green  spectacles  on,  I  cannot  just 
exactly  see.  It  was  the  ignorant,  unreasoning  masses  of 
the  South  who  were  led  into  the  rebellion  with  green 
spectacles  on,  not  men  like  Mr.  Davis.  But,  my  son, 
never  strike  a  man  when  he  is  down ;  that  is  the  work 
of  cowards.  Let  us  give  Mr.  Davis  credit  for  such  vir- 
tues as  he  had,  and  for  the  manner  in  which  he  exerted 
them  in  keeping  life  and  strength  in  the  government 
he  attempted  to  set  up.  In  connection  with  the  rebel- 
lion, we  had  to  deal  with  Mr.  Davis  more  in  his  character 
as  a  soldier  than  a  statesman.  Mr.  Davis  was  undoubtedly 
an  able  soldier.  He  was  the  head  and  front,  the  very  life 
and  soul  of  the  men  in  the  South.  Born  to  those  qualities 
of  pride,  self-esteem,  and  self-will,  all  of  which  produce 
confidence  in  the  possessor,  he  grew  up  feeling  himself 
superior,  as  he  was,  to  the  ordinary  men  of  his  age.  He 
inherited  at  the  same  time  great  fixedness  of  purpose  and 
determination ;  and  so  prominent  were  these  traits  of  his 
character,  that  they  impressed  every  one  who  came  in  con- 
tact with  him. 

These,  my  son,  were,  the  attributes  that  gave  wings  to 
the  man's  ambition  and  found  him  aspiring  to  one  of  the 

127 


SIEGE    OF    WASHINGTON 


high  places  in  the  temple  of  fame.  The  nation  gave  him 
a  thorough  military  education  at  West  Point,  and  he  after- 
wards learned  the  practical  duties  of  a  soldier  in  the  Black 
Hawk  war.  On  the  return  of  peace,  he  resigned  and 
sought  distinction  in  political  life.  He  had  succeeded  in 
reaching  the  House  of  Eepresentatives  when  the  war  with 
Mexico  broke  oat,  and  he  resigned  and  again  went  to 
the  field.  And,  notwithstanding  what  has  been  said  to 
the  contrary,  he  won  great  distinction  in  this  war.  Mil- 
itary men  everywhere  did  him  justice.  The  "Missis- 
sippi Kifles "  will  be  remembered  as  long  as  the  battle 
of  Buena  Vista. 

At  the  close  of  the  war  he  again  relinquished '  the 
sword,  and  was  sent  to  the  United  States  Senate,  where  he 
was  made  chairman  of  the  Committee  on  Military  Aifairs. 
His  highest  ambition  was  to  shine  as  a  statesman.  He 
afterwards  served  four  years  as  Secretary  of  War,  and 
then  returned  to  the  Senate,  where  the  rebellion  found 
him  elevated  to  the  chairmanship  of  the  Committee  of  Mil- 
itary Affairs.  His  education,  his  services  in  the  army,  his 
position  as  Secretary  of  War,  and  in  the  Senate,  enabled 
him  to  become  thoroughly  acquainted  with  our  army, 
with  its  customs,  its  laws,  its  material,  its  wants,  and, 
above  all,  the  character  of  its  officers.  He  was,  perhaps,, 
better  acquainted  with  these  things  than  any  other  man 
in  the  United  States.  Nor  was  he  deficient  in  knowl- 

128 


SIEGE    OF    WASHINGTON. 


edge  of  the  character  of  leading  public  men  at  the 
North  and  West.  What  he  had  not  studied  well,  how- 
ever, was  the  character  and  the  patriotism  of  the  people 
of  those  sections  of  our  country. 

It  was  the  ripe  fruit  of  this  knowledge,  then,  that 
Mr.  Davis  applied  in  each  department  of  the  rebel  gov- 
ernment ;  and  it  was  this  that  made  him  of  such  incal- 
culable value  to  the  rebellion.  We  have  seen  and  even 
admired  the  power  with  which  he  wielded  the  scanty 
resources  of  the  South.  And  we  have  seen  the  wisdom 
which  he  displayed  from  the  very  first  in  the  selection 
of  his  generals.  With  rare  exceptions,  he  put  the  right 
man  in  the  right  place.  He  knew  the  importance  of 
placing  soldiers  in  command,  when  soldiers'  duty  was  to 
be  performed.  It  would  have  been  fortunate  for  us  if 
we  had  exercised  similar  wisdom.  When  the  rebellion 
began,  there  was  no  man  in  the  South  to  have  taken 
the  place  of  Mr.  Davis.  It  is  not  too  much  to  say  that 
had  he  remained  loyal  to  his  country,  and  been  elevated 
to  the  command  of  our  armies  when  the  war  began,  he 
would  have  quickly  crushed  out  the  rebellion.  With 
his  grasp  of  mind,  and  his  iron  will,  he  would  have  so 
wielded  the  great  resources  of  the  North  and  West,  that 
the  rebellion  would  have  been  crushed  in  a  year  from  its 
birth.  And  this  was  the  man  our  authorities  at  Wash- 
ington supposed  would  not,  or  could  not,  attack  the 
r>*  129 


SIEGE    OF    WASHINGTON. 


capital  after  it  had  been  stripped  of  its  proper  garrison. 
Let  the  truth  be  told:  Davis  was  not  the  man  to  let 
such  a  blunder  go  unnoticed. 


130 


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